ESPN.com · Mar 12, 2017
Nevada beats Colorado State 79-71 for Mountain West crown
LAS VEGAS -- Jordan Caroline had 23 points and 10 rebounds as Nevada beat Colorado State 79-71 on Saturday in the Mountain West Conference championship game to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth in 11 years.
The top-seeded Wolf Pack (28-6) claimed the league's automatic bid for their first trip to the NCAAs since winning the 2006 Western Athletic Conference Tournament.
After squandering a 16-point lead and allowing the Rams to tie the game midway through the second half, Nevada used an 11-3 run during a five-minute stretch to build another cushion while No. 2 seed Colorado State (23-11) missed eight consecutive field goal attempts.