Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
Utah State Aggies forward Quinn Taylor (10) dunks during a Mountain West Conference Tournament quarterfinal game against the New Mexico Lobos at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Thursday, March 14, 2019.
Utah State's first matchup in the Mountain West Tournament was tougher than the Aggies would have hoped.
No. 2 seed USU overcame 24 turnovers, though, and made several key plays down the stretch to top No. 7 seed New Mexico in Thursday's quarterfinal action and advance.
With the Aggies nursing a six-point lead, Diogo Brito stole the ball with 38 seconds to play and USU added a pair of free throws from MW Player of the Year Sam Merrill to extend its lead to eight before holding on down the stretch.