Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Nevada [Exh] on October 17, 2025
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Men's Basketball
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Saturday, March 13
Denver, Colo. (Pepsi Center)
8:00 PM
University of Utah
73
vs
70
UNLV (MWC Tourney Final)
Jacobson Sends Utes To Big Dance!
3/13/2004 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 14, 2004
By JOHN MOSSMAN
AP Sports Writer
DENVER - During the last timeout, the feeling in the Utah huddle was unanimous: get the ball to Nick.
The Utes did, and Nick Jacobson hit a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left, giving Utah a 73-70 win over UNLV in the Mountain West tournament championship Saturday night and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
UNLV's Odartey Blankson made a 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining to tie it 70-all, but Jacobson hit the clincher from the left wing.
"The whole team in the last timeout was calling for Nick to get it," coach Kerry Rupp said. "Nick is the type of guy who likes to take that shot. He's not afraid to take it. I was happy for him and for our team that it came down to Nick having the ball in his hands and making that great shot.
"If it goes down to one shot, you want your best player doing it."
Jacobson said the Utes had run the same play several times in the first half.
"We were thinking about running something else, but it had worked," he said. "(Tim) Drisdom and I both said, `Let's run it again.' I got a little separation on the defender. I just got lucky and made a great shot."
Utah qualified for the NCAA tournament for the third straight year and eighth time in the last 10 years.
Jacobson finished with 22 points and Richard Chaney had 18, and Andrew Bogut had 17 points and 14 rebounds for Utah (24-8), the No. 3 seed. Utah prevailed despite being outshot 50 percent to 37 percent.
 | "If it goes down to one shot, you want your best player doing it." Coach Kerry Rupp |
Blankson had 23 points and Jerel Blassingame 22 for UNLV (18-12), the No. 4 seed.
In a matchup of interim head coaches, the Utes went to 9-3 under Rupp, who replaced Rick Majerus after the latter stepped down because of health reasons on Jan. 28.
UNLV is 6-3 under Jay Spoonhour, who took over when his father, Charlie, stepped down Feb. 17, also because of health concerns.
"Jacobson hit a hard shot," Spoonhour said. "He's a good player, and that's what good players do.
"It was a hard ending for us, a hard ending because we had a lead and lost it and fought hard to get back into it."
 Nick Jacobson and the Utes celebrate their MWC Championship. | |
Utah rebounded from a 10-point deficit early in the second half thanks to a 16-4 run that included six points by Tim Frost.
Chaney followed with a 3-point basket and Jacobson with a pair of 3-pointers to make it 58-52 with 9:37 left.
Blankson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to help cut the deficit to 64-63 with 5:03 remaining.
After an exchange of free throws, Blankson scored on a spin move in the lane and the Rebels trailed 68-67 with 37 seconds left. Bogut hit two free throws for a 70-67 lead with 35 seconds to go.
Blassingame had 17 points in the first half and Blankson 10 to lead UNLV to a 41-33 halftime lead. Jacobson and Chaney had 10 points apiece for Utah, which shot only 33 percent in the half compared to UNLV's 54 percent.
Chaney scored eight straight points as the Utes took an early 10-7 lead, but Blassingame then triggered a 20-10 run, scoring 15 of the Rebels' 20 points.
Blassingame scored the first 12 points of the surge, including a pair of fastbreak layups and a 3-point basket. Blassingame capped the flurry with another 3-pointer for a 29-22 lead with 6:13 left in the half.
Utah responded with six straight points, including four by Bogut, to cut the deficit to 29-28. But UNLV's James Peters followed with a three-point play and Romel Beck with a shot off the glass. Blankson hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 4 seconds remaining.
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