by: Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State was held under 100 point for the first time this young season, but the Aggies still had more than enough fire power in a 94-59 win over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Redshirt freshman guard
Brock Miller scored a career-high 26 points to pace three Aggies in double-figure scoring. Junior guard
Sam Merrill chipped in 18 points, while sophomore guard
John Knight III added 12.
All 12 Aggies that saw time on the court found the scoring column for Utah State, which shot 58.0 percent from the field (29-of-50) and recorded a season-high 24 assists on those 29 made field goals. Ten different players had at least one helper, including a career-high five dimes from sophomore guard
Abel Porter.
Utah State is now 3-0 to start a season for the fifth time in the last six years and
Craig Smith is the ninth different head coach in school history to win his first three games.
Offensively, the Aggies have won their first three games by at least 25 points and scored at least 90 points in three straight games for the first time since 1994-95.
Utah State also shined on the defensive end of the court as it limited the Delta Devils (0-3) to an icy 31.1 percent shooting clip from the field (19-of-61). The Aggies grabbed 10 more rebounds on the night (39-29) and turned 13 of Mississippi Valley State's turnovers into 16 points.
A pair of Delta Devils finished in double figures, led by Jordan Evans' game-high 29 points and four assists. Dante Scott added 20 points as those two players accounted for more than 83 percent of Mississippi Valley State's offense.
The Aggies led 53-24 at halftime and proceeded to shoot 59.1 percent in the second half (13-of-22). Miller scored 14 of his points after the break.
The Delta Devils' Lorenzo Hunt hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 3-all less than two minutes into the game, but the Aggies used a 23-9 run to take control for good. During that stretch, Mississippi Valley State shot just 2-for-15 from the field and suffered a scoreless drought of 7:20.
Utah State continues its three-game homestand on Friday, Nov. 16, when the Aggies welcome in-state rival Utah Valley (1-2) to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, at 7 p.m. It will mark the second of four games associated with the MGM Main Event, which will culminate with a pair of contests in Las Vegas on Nov. 19 and 21.
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).
-USU-