RENO, Nev. -- Nevada was the favorite in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, and it didn't disappoint at home.
Nick Fazekas had 23 points and 14 rebounds and Marcelus Kemp hit a key 3-pointer with 46 seconds left in overtime to help the No. 21 Wolf Pack beat Utah State 70-63 Saturday night in the WAC championship.
"Every shot I take, I think I'm going to make," said Kemp, who shot 5-for-11 from the field but only 1-of-5 from 3-point range.
Mo Charlo added 14 points and the Wolf Pack (27-5) made 10 of 12 free throws in the overtime to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Nevada has won 14 straight games, the second longest streak in the nation to Gonzaga's 18.
"We had a target on our back all year," Fazekas said. "We were really able to accomplish a lot of things in the regular season and this conference tournament."
The Wolf Pack avenged a 59-53 loss to Utah State in Reno on Jan. 23 -- the last time they lost.
Nate Harris scored 22 points for the Aggies (23-8), including a 3-pointer that cut it to 66-63 with 17 seconds left in the extra period.
But Kemp, who finished with 13 points, made two free throws. After David Pak's 3-point attempt missed, Chad Bell made a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to secure the win.
Utah State coach Stew Morrill said his team deserves an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament despite the loss. He said his team transferred from the Big West Conference to the WAC this year because typically only the Big West champion gets invited.
"If we don't get a bid tomorrow, then we should pull out of the WAC and go back to the Big West. I'm dead serious," Morrill said.
"We came to this league for this very reason. Everybody said you get into the WAC, you put yourself in position, there will be more than one bid there."
Nevada coach Mark Fox agreed the Aggies deserve an NCAA berth.
"Without any question in my mind. They played us exactly even for 40 minutes," Fox said. "It was a hard-fought game, a well-played game by both teams."
Nevada, which finished 17-1 at home this season, is within one win of equaling the school's best record ever, a 28-5 mark in the 1945-46 season.
The students rushed the court at the end of the game. When Fazekas was announced as MVP, he hugged Charlo and Kemp and raised the trophy and a "WAC champ" sign as the crowd chanted, "One more year."
"I'm extremely proud of our players to win the regular season championship and the tournament championship," Fox said. "They've had expectations that have been extremely high. That is a lot of pressure for somebody this age to deal with, but they dealt with it just fine."
Both coaches credited Nevada's crowd with helping the Wolf Pack secure the win.
"Nevada is really a good team on their home court. That's the main thing that beat us," Morrill said. "Obviously, the crowd had something to do with that. ... They've got a lot of weapons. They are big. They are athletic. That's why they are nationally ranked."
Durrall Peterson hit a 3-pointer at 3:21 in overtime to put Utah State ahead 60-59 for the first time since midway through the second half.
Kyle Shiloh made two of three free throws to put Nevada back on top 61-60 with 1:49 to go.
Cass Matheus, who finished with 13 points, drew a foul underneath but missed both free throws and Kemp hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 64-60 with 46 seconds left. Fazekas, the tournament MVP, added a pair of free throws for a 66-60 lead.
With the teams tied at 53 in regulation, Fazekas made a pair of free throws with 1:09 to go but Pak answered with a 15-footer to tie it.
As the shot clock ticked down, Kemp stumbled and was called for traveling with 16 seconds left. Jaycee Carroll missed a 15-footer with four seconds left in regulation and Matheus and Harris missed tip-ins before Bell cleared the ball to force the overtime.
"We came up just a little bit short," Harris said. "I got a tip that I'm going to make about 65 percent of the time and it just didn't go down."
Nevada, which made 20 of 25 free throws in the game, led by as much as seven in the first half and led 33-31 at halftime.
Fox said he had expected his team to come through in the clutch on defense at the end of regulation.
"We're a good defensive team. To be honest, I thought we'd get a stop," he said. "No disrespect to Utah State, but I just trust my team."
