Utah
How No. 18 Utah State held off Fresno State in the MWC tournament quarterfinals
LAS VEGAS â Survive and advance â thatâs what happened for No. 18 Utah State on Thursday.
The top-seeded Aggies received a scare from No. 9 seed Fresno State in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center, but Utah State finally took control in overtime of the 87-75 victory.
âWe just knew we had to go take it in overtime. We were just prepared. As soon as we seen it was going to OT, we thought, yeah, weâre fitting to take this and dominate.â
â Â Utah State’s Javon Jackson
âWhen we had to get it done, just like we found ways all year, they kept finding ways to get it done,â Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle said of his team.
The game featured seven runs of seven or more points â âAny time we would get up by eight, they kept scrapping back,â Sprinkle said â but it was the final one, this time by the Aggies, that sealed the win.
Javon Jackson, who scored a career-high 16 points, hit a 3-pointer just 16 seconds into overtime to give the Aggies the early advantage. On Utah Stateâs next possession, Great Osobor hit a jumper.
That set the tone for the extra session, as Utah State (27-5) scored the first 11 points before Fresno State was able to hit a pair of too-late shots in the final minute.
âWe just knew we had to go take it in overtime. We were just prepared. As soon as we seen it was going to OT, we thought, yeah, weâre fitting to take this and dominate,â Jackson said.
Jackson, who turned 22 on Thursday, also had five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
âWe donât even come close to winning that game without Javon,â Sprinkle said.
Osobor, as heâs been all season, was a force all afternoon for the Aggies.
The 6-foot-8 wing, who was named both the MWC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, created foul issues for the Bulldogs while making 15 of 24 free throws. He finished with 29 points â Osobor also made 7 of 8 field goals â and added 17 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Jackson scored eight of his 16 points before halftime, helping Utah State overcome some early struggles. Fresno State led by as many as seven points in the first half as the Aggies missed 11 of 12 field goals at one point, helping the Bulldogs establish some momentum.
It ended up being the final game for Fresno State coach Justin Hutson, who announced following the game that he is stepping down as the Bulldogsâ head coach on his own terms. Fresno State had advanced to Thursdayâs quarterfinals after rallying past Wyoming in Wednesdayâs first round.
In a game full of spurts, though, Utah State closed to within one point at halftime and then scored 11 of the first 13 points in the second half to establish control.
âI felt like our aggressiveness, especially in the second half, was much better. We got some open looks in the first half. We just didnât knock them down,â Sprinkle said. âThe first 20 minutes of any tournament is the hardest. They had been on the court. Theyâve played. They were in a lot more rhythm, and you could tell that in the first half.â
While 3-point shooting was a struggle much of the day â the Aggies made 7 of 25 and missed their first seven â Utah State benefited from some timely 3-pointers.
That included a pair from Isaac Johnson and one from Darius Brown II in the opening minutes of the second half to help the Aggies push their lead as high as nine at 54-45.
Brown later made two more 3-pointers, along with Jackson hitting another, and with 4:45 to play, the Aggies led 80-72.
Fresno State, though, wouldnât go away.
Instead, the Bulldogs outscored Utah State 8-0 over the final 4:45 of regulation to force overtime.
Jalen Weaver, who led the Bulldogs with 19 points and eight rebounds, started that run with a layup, and Isaiah Hill â who had 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Bulldogs â made a pair of layups 36 seconds apart in the final two minutes to tie the game at 80.
Hill then had a chance to put Fresno State ahead, but his 3-point attempt with 40 seconds left missed, giving the ball back to Utah State.
Brown, who shook off a slow shooting start to finish with a double-double on 17 points and 11 assists, then tried a 3 with eight seconds remaining in regulation, but it missed, too, sending the game into overtime.
Thatâs where Utah Stateâs toughness and experience took over.
âI feel like obviously you donât want to have close games, but we like when the stakes are high. So we knew if we got into overtime, it was a 0-0 game. We got our jitters out of the way,â Osobor said. âTheyâre a really good team, and they played yesterday, so they had momentum going. At that point, OK, we had already played a full game now. 0-0. Go do what we do, you know.â
In a game where both teams shot just over 40% from the field, free throws ended up playing a huge role, as Utah State attempted 22 more than Fresno State. The Aggies made 26 of 36, while the Bulldogs made 11 of 14.
Osobor himself shot 10 more free throws than Fresno State.
Sprinkle said the Aggies could clean it up, as they missed chances on several occasions to bolster their lead when a one-and-one was missed.
âThatâs our game plan every game. Thatâs just the style that we play, and our players, thatâs kind of what weâre built for, being aggressive and really trying to attack the paint to either draw fouls or get the ball to the rim and let guys play one-on-one,â Sprinkle said.
The Aggies were surprisingly shorthanded in the quarterfinal matchup, as freshman Mason Falslev was in street clothes with an injury.
Sprinkle met with Falslev following the teamâs pregame meal, and thatâs when the coach said he indicated he couldnât go.
âHe hasnât really practiced much all week. Itâs just kind of one of those, weâll see how he feels tomorrow,â Sprinkle said of Falslev. âHeâs been getting a lot of treatment on it, but I donât expect him to play tomorrow, to be honest. I hope he does, but â¦â
The tomorrow in reference is Utah Stateâs MWC tournament semifinal matchup.
The Aggies will face either UNLV or San Diego State on Friday in the first semifinal of the day (7:30 p.m. MST, CBS Sports Network).
After Thursdayâs battle, Utah State is happy to be playing another day.
âItâs the Mountain West, thereâs no teams in the Mountain West that weâre going to come in and win,â Osobor said. âItâs high-level basketball. We tend to thrive in close games. Iâm glad â Iâm happy for our teamâs resiliency and the way that we stick together in close games.â
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Utah
Utah gets $20 million for transportation and traffic light technology
![Utah gets $20 million for transportation and traffic light technology](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/057952a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4608x2419+0+155/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe5%2F76%2Fc0dec5284bd3a795fb0da877d733%2Fgreen-line-trax-at-gallivan-plaza.jpg)
The Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation has announced a $20 million grant to Utah.
Drivers of snow plows, public transportation buses, and other government-operated vehicles are using technology that can direct traffic lights to change in order to improve safety and travel time.
Under the “Saving Lives and Connectivity: Accelerating V2X Deployment” program, Utah will receive $20 million of the $60 million that is aimed to improve vehicle technologies. The other $40 million will go to Texas and Arizona.
“Connecting vehicles and infrastructure is a great way for us to be able to take advantage of technology to help improve safety and other outcomes. And Utah’s DOT has been a leader in this space for a long time,” Shailen Bhatt, US Federal Highway Administrator said.
UDOT will use this $20 million to fund projects in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, where each state represents different population concentrations and transportation facilities.
Bhatt says protecting personal private information can be one of the challenges when using these types of technology.
“So we will want people to understand what is being exchanged is called a basic safety message of DSM. The vehicle is going to report to the intersection that I’m approaching, and the intersection is going to report back ‘oh, the light is about to turn red or my light is red’, but it’s all anonymous data,” Bhatt said.
The technology is being used in Salt Lake City, where travel time reliability and bus performance have improved.
“It is unequivocal that when you deploy technology, we are able to reduce crashes, we’re able to reduce congestion, we’re able to reduce the amount of time people sit in traffic, and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from our system. And we look forward to more investments being made on the basis of the data that we get from this initial deployment,” Bhatt said.
Utah
As the Youth Group Hiked, First Came the Rain. Then Came the Lightning
![As the Youth Group Hiked, First Came the Rain. Then Came the Lightning](https://img1-azrcdn.newser.com/image/1543224-12-20240628083202.jpeg)
Seven members of a youth group hiking in Utah were transported to hospitals on Thursday after lightning struck the ground near them. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints youth group from Salina, Utah, were in the eastern part of Sevier County around 1:45pm local time when a light rain began and the lightning hit, Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis said in a statement. “Approximately 50 youth felt the shock of the lightning,” Curtis said, adding that seven of the young people had “medical concerns due to the electrocution,” per the AP.
Two of the victims had serious symptoms and were flown by helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi, Utah. Five others were transported by ambulance to Sevier Valley Hospital in Richfield and Gunnison Valley Hospital in Gunnison, Curtis said. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, according to Curtis, who said the other hikers were returned to their families in Salina, about 140 miles south of Salt Lake City. (A man trying to warn kids was killed by a lightning strike on a New Jersey beach.)
Utah
7 Church youth group members hospitalized after lightning strikes Utah hiking area
![7 Church youth group members hospitalized after lightning strikes Utah hiking area](https://images.foxweather.com/static.foxweather.com/www.foxweather.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1024/512/state-park.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Here are 7 facts about monsoon season.
SEVIER COUNTY, Utah – Seven members of a youth group from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were hospitalized Thursday after lightning struck near their hiking trail in south-central Utah.
The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office said a group of around 50 members were near an area known as Fremont Junction when the sudden rainstorm happened around 1:45 p.m. local time.
“Two of the youth were experiencing some serious symptoms and were flown via medical helicopter to Primary children’s hospital in Lehi. The rest of the youth were taken to Gunnison hospital and Sevier Valley Hospital,” deputies stated.
All of the injuries were thought to be non-life threatening, and the rest of the members were transported safely off the hiking trail.
SOUTHWEST MONSOON SEASON SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE AFTER SLUGGISH START
Authorities praised the swift response of multiple agencies involved in the remote rescue operation.
The thunderstorm that triggered the rainfall and the lightning us part of an uptick of the monsoon season that has been scarce across the region.
The Southwest monsoon season typically kicks off around June 15 and lasts through late September, but its activity varies dramatically year by year.
Some communities in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and West Texas see half of their annual precipitation during these months, which is vital for the replenishment of waterways.
Lightning often accompanies the strongest storms, which can spark wildfires where dry vegetation exists.
![FOX Weather App photo of radar over Utah](https://images.foxweather.com/static.foxweather.com/www.foxweather.com/content/uploads/2024/06/668/376/radar-e1719543186747.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
FOX Weather App photo of radar over Utah
(FOX Weather)
LIGHTNING FATALITIES WERE SECOND-LOWEST ON RECORD IN 2023, SAFETY COUNCIL SAYS
Every year, hundreds of millions of lightning bolts occur throughout the U.S. but only a handful become deadly.
Data compiled by the National Lightning Safety Council shows fishing is one of the top activities where most deaths occur.
In 2023, 14 people were killed by lightning strikes, with many taking part in outdoor sporting activities when thunder roared.
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