Box Score | Quotes | Notes

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Utah State men's basketball had a lead early in the second half, but ultimately lost the game at San Diego State on Saturday afternoon in a 70-55 defeat. The loss drops the Aggies to 11-8 on the year and 3-5 in the Mountain West, while San Diego State moved to 14-6 and 7-0 with the win.

Junior guard Shane Rector led three Aggies in double figures, scoring a career-high 15 points and added a career-high six steals. He was followed by senior guard Darius Perkins with 13 points and junior wing Jalen Moore with 11. Redshirt freshman forward Quinn Taylor paced the Aggies on the glass, collecting eight rebounds.

San Diego State was led by its starting backcourt tandem of Jeremy Hemsley and Trey Kell with 18 and 15 points, respectively. They were followed by Angelo Chol off the bench with 12. Overall, SDSU shot 45.3 percent (24-of-53) from the floor, 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from behind the 3-point line and 77.3 percent (17-of-22) from the free throw line.

Utah State finished its night 36.7 percent (22-of-60) from the floor, 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from behind the 3-point line and 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from the free throw line, a season-low in both made and attempted for the Aggies from the charity stripe after shooting season-highs of 24 and 29 against the Aztecs in Logan.

San Diego State scored the first points of the game and led by as many as 13 in the opening stanza until Utah State closed out the half on a 10-4 run, chipping away at an 11-point deficit (33-22) and going into the break down five, 37-32.

Utah State continued the run coming out of the locker rooms and opened the second half with a 7-0 push, taking a 39-37 lead two minutes in. The Aggies had a 41-39 lead with 17:05 on the clock, but the Aztecs found their groove and scored 12 unanswered, taking a 51-41 lead with 12:06 to play and never looked back. The difference grew to 22, 70-48, late in the game until the Aggies closed out the contest with a seven-point run, leading to the final score of 70-55.

Utah State has a week break before its next contest, hosting Nevada at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m.

Single game tickets for the 2015-16 season are now available and begin at $17. 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 new 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 (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).

-USU-