LAS VEGAS – As Utah State warmed up for its quarterfinal game against UNLV in the Mountain West tournament, news broke that ithe Aggies’ associate head coach Eric Haut is being hired by Tarleton State to be its next head coach. “I’m just super excited about this opportunity,” Haut said in an interview with media after the announcement. “President [James] Hurley, our (Athletics Director) Steve Uryasz. They’re tremendous people. They have a vision for Tarleton State. It’s a program on the rise. Brand new facilities. The resources are there. Now it’s our turn to come in there and build a championship-level program. So I’m just really, really grateful for the opportunity, and I can’t wait to get to work.” The timing of the announcement turned out to be deliberate. Tarleton State obviously wanted to announce the hire as soon as possible, but Utah State’s coaching staff, Haut included, didn’t want the announcement to be a distraction from Thursday’s game. The players were unaware of the pending move until Haut informed them after the game. Special scene in the @USUBasketball locker room today following their MWC quarterfinals win, when Eric Haut announced he’s been named head coach at Tarleton State! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/tvBBp0Ot4s

LAS VEGAS — It took three tries, but Utah State finally got a win over the pesky UNLV Rebels, downing them 80-60 in Thursday’s quarterfinal round of the Mountain West Tournament. The win was a long time coming, but Utah State wasn’t going to let another opportunity to assert some level of dominance in this series go to waste. “We knew that this was our last chance,” USU guard MJ Collins said. “There’s a saying that it’s hard to beat a team three times. We were just on the edge all week. We knew what it meant for, not only us, but the coaches, too.” Mountain West Player of the Year Mason Falslev and Collins, his Second Team All-MW teammate, each scored 20-plus points. Falslev came up just shy of his third double-double of the season with 24 points, nine rebounds plus three assists and three steals. Collins tallied 20 exactly, adding three rebounds, four assists and three steals of his own. Having their two stars lead from the front made things much easier for the Aggies all afternoon. “When we have it going or one has it going, it takes pressure off of not only the other person, but the