MWC men’s semifinals: Aztecs lead at halftime

Lorrenzo Wade scored eight points to help San Diego State take a 31-28 advantage over Brigham Young into the break in the first semifinal of the Mountain West Conference men’s tournament at at the Thomas & Mack Center tonight. Wade, a Cheyenne High School graduate, made all four of his free-throw attempts, part of a 10-for-11 effort by the Aztecs. The Cougars converted 4 of 6 attempts.

Kyle Spain and Richie Williams each added five points, and Williams had four rebounds from his point guard position.

Noah Hartsock had seven points and four rebounds off the bench to lead BYU. A day after shooting over 50 percent from 3-point range in eliminating UNLV, San Diego State is just 1 of 6 from that distance. BYU hasn’t been much better, hitting 2 of 11 tries.

Olivier is Frugal

UNLV coach Kathy Olivier wanted to criticize the officials during her postgame press conference earlier today, but she did not want to face the consequences.

When asked about the team’s valiant comeback falling short, Olivier alluded to some questionable calls, but also made reference to the fact that they just kind of hit a wall. When pressed on the issue, UNLV’s first-year coach was more specific.

“It’s not like we hit a wall physically,” she said. “I don’t want to be set up for a fine, but things didn’t go our way.”

A coach that questions an official’s call is subject to a fine under NCAA rules.

Huh?

Brigham Young's dance team performed at halftime and did a good job. They then tacked on a few additional moves after the music had stopped and the crowd went crazy as if the Cougars had just won the national championship. They did well, but it wasn't anything better than any other group has done this week. The over-the-top fan reaction was puzzling.