Utah State beats New Mexico 91-76 in Mountain West quarterfinals

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Taylor Funk’s 32 points led Utah State over New Mexico 91-76 on Thursday in the Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinals.

The third-seeded Aggies will face the tournament’s No. 2 seed, Boise State, in Friday’s semifinal.

Funk shot 10 for 16 (6 for 10 from 3-point range) and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line for the Aggies. Steven Ashworth scored 22 points and added five assists and three steals. Daniel Akin was 7 of 9 shooting. He was 3 of 5 from the free throw line to finish with 17 points, while adding eight rebounds.

The Lobos (21-10) were led by Jamal Mashburn Jr., who posted 20 points and four assists. Morris Udeze added 16 points, 11 rebounds and two steals for New Mexico. In addition, Josiah Allick finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Utah State took the lead with 19:16 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. Funk led his team in scoring with 21 points in the first half. That helped put them up 44-33 at the break.

Utah State pulled away with an 8-0 run in the second half to extend a six-point lead to 14 points. They outscored New Mexico by four points in the final half, as Max Shulga led the way with a team-high 12 second-half points.