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LOGAN, Utah - Utah State's men's basketball team struggled from the field for most of the night and it cost the Aggies in a 73-63 setback to UC Irvine on Saturday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

It was the first home loss of the season for Utah State, which fell to 5-3 overall. The Anteaters improved to 7-3 with the win.

Having to deal with the post presence of the 7-foot-6 Mamadou Ndiaye, UC Irvine's junior center from Dakar, Senegal, Utah State (5-3) only shot 35.4 percent on the night (23-of-65).

Ndiaye finished with the game's lone double-double as he had 17 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with four of his team's five blocks. Senior guard Alex Young led all scorers in the game with 20 points and junior guard Luke Nelson chipped in 15 for UC Irvine, which shot 48.3 from the field (28-of-58).

The Aggies had three players finish in double-figure scoring, led by senior guard Darius Perkins' season-high 17 points. Sophomore guard Julion Pearre added 15 off the bench on a career-high five 3-pointers for Utah State, while junior wing Jalen Moore contributed 10 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

UC Irvine took its largest lead of the night at 56-37 following a layup by Ndiaye with 9:19 remaining in the second half, but Utah State fought back.

The Aggies used a 22-6 run to pull within 62-59 with 3:28 to go. Redshirt junior forward Lew Evans capped the surge with back-to-back 3-pointers, igniting the Spectrum crowd in the process. Evans finished with eight points and eight rebounds.

Unfortunately for the Aggies, that's as close as they would get the rest of the way. The Anteaters closed the game on an 11-4 run.

Utah State only led twice on the night and both times came in the first half. Moore gave the Aggies their final lead at 11-10 with 14:06 remaining in the first half on a layup. Young gave the Anteaters the lead for good less than a minute later on a jumper.

UC Irvine led by as many as nine in the first half, but went into the break with a 28-23 lead.

The Anteaters outrebounded the Aggies by seven (42-35) and outscored them in the paint, 36-22. Utah State's bench outscored UC Irvine's bench, 24-11.

Utah State will be back in action when it hosts the Global Sports Hoops Showcase presented by Gossner Foods Dec. 21-23. The Aggies are slated to play at 8 p.m. each day of the tournament, beginning with UT Rio Grand Valley on Monday, Dec. 21. North Dakota State and Idaho State will also be participating in the three-day event.

Single game tickets for the 2015-16 season are now available and begin at $17. Fans can also purchase three-, four-, six- and nine-game mini-plans for as little as $30. For more basketball ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the "Buy Tickets" tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com.

Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook facebook.com/USUmen'sbasketball and on Twitter @Aggiehoops. Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube at youtube.com/UtahStateAthletics. Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program at Twitter @USUAthletics, on Facebook at facebook.com/USUAthletics, or on Instagram @USUAthletics.

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