The Aggies led by 18 points in the first half, by 10 midway through the second half and by three with a minute remaining. But the Bulldogs parlayed two Utah State turnovers, an unnecessary intentional foul and deadly free-throw shooting into a one-point victory that dropped USU into the tournament as the No. 9 seed.
Wyoming, at 14-17, is the No. 8 seed.
Asked why his team has struggled to close out winnable games, coach Tim Duryea said, "I think the common thread is we've given up too many easy points in key situations. That has come from fatal turnovers, even though we don't turn the ball over a lot.