Box Score | Post-Game Quotes
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's basketball posted a 51-point victory, 96-45, over Evergreen State in its only exhibition game of the season on Thursday night in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Every Aggie player that dressed saw action in Thursday's game. Utah State dominated in the paint, scoring 76 of its 96 points down low, including 22 off of fast breaks. Freshmen center Neemias Queta and forward Ben Fakira's scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, while Fakira also grabbed a team-high 10 boards, finishing with a double-double. Queta led the Aggies with four of the team's 10 blocks.
Queta and Fakira dominated down under the basket opening the lanes for the guards, as freshman Tauriawn Knight led all scorers with game-high 16. Junior guard Sam Merrill rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points of his own. Sophomore guard John Knight III and junior guard Diogo Brito each dished out a game-high five assists, while redshirt freshman guard Brock Miller stole the ball a game-best three times.
After Evergreen State scored the first two points of the game, Queta scored Utah State's first basket of the contest off of an offensive rebound and tip-in, kickstarting a 14-point Aggies run. The margin grew to more than 20, 32-15, following a pair of free throws by Knight, and the 20-point margin continued into the half, with the home side leading 51-19 at the break.
Utah State's lead grew to more than 30, 60-26, when Queta made a contested layup with 16:27 on the clock early in the second half and then eclipsed 40, 77-35, following a fast-break layup by junior guard Crew Ainge with 8:14 showing on the clock. The Aggies went on a 10-0 run to end the game, leading to the eventual 96-45 final.
Evergreen State was led in scoring by a trio of players in Elijah Fuller, Hanley Shum and Manu Niu with eight points apiece.The Geoducks finished the game shooting 25.8 percent (17-of-66) from the floor, 25.0 percent (6-of-24) from behind the 3-point line and 83.3 percent (5-of-6) at the free throw line.
Utah State shot 53.9 percent (41-of-76) from the floor, 16.7 percent from behind the arc (3-of-18) and 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the free throw line.
Utah State opens its 2018-19 slate on the road as the Aggies take on Montana State in Bozeman on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m.
Tickets are now available for men's basketball. Fans can purchase season tickets, or on a game-by-game basis. Fans can purchase tickets at the Utah State ticket office, located on the first floor of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Tickets are also available online at utahstateaggies.com/tickets, or by calling the ticket office at (435) 797-0305 or (888)-USTATE-1.
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). 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).