LOGAN, Utah - Utah State junior guard Sam Merrill was named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, Nov. 25, it was announced Monday. The award is voted on by a state-wide media panel.

It is the first time this year and fourth time in his career that Merrill has been named USU's student-athlete of the week. With their sponsorship of the Student-Athlete of the Week, America First Credit Union donates funds directly to support student-athlete scholarships.
 
Merrill led the Aggies in scoring last week as USU posted a 1-1 record with an 80-63 victory over Saint Mary's, followed by an 82-87 loss against Arizona State at the MGM Main Event in Las Vegas, Nev. Against the Gaels, Merrill scored 23 points, shooting 50.0 percent (7-of-14) from the floor, 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from behind the 3-point line and 85.7 percent (6-of-7) at the free throw line, while adding a season-high eight assists, along with four rebounds. 

Against the Sun Devils, Merrill led the Aggies with 27 points, shooting 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from the floor, 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from behind the 3-point line and 88.9 percent (8-of-9) at the free throw line, while adding five rebounds and one assist.  

For the week, Merrill averaged 25.0 points per game, shooting 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from the floor, 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from behind the 3-point line and 87.5 percent (14-of-16) at the free throw line, and 4.5 rebounds and assists per game.
 
Utah State will return home on Wednesday, Nov. 28, when the Aggies welcome Northern Iowa to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, at 7 p.m. The game is part of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge.
 
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).
 
Nominees from other sports for USU Student-Athlete of the Week included:

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL – Junior guard/forward Shannon Dufficy (Preston, Victoria, Australia) averaged 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 0.7 assists per game last week as Utah State lost 62-57 to BYU at home in overtime, and then dropped a pair of games at the Nevada-hosted Nugget Classic over the weekend with a 55-46 loss to USC and a 78-68 loss to Colorado. Against the Cougars, Dufficy scored 17 points to go along with six rebounds, three steals and two assists. In the game against the Trojans, she had seven points, six rebounds and two steals. Against the Buffaloes, she scored a career-high 23 points to go along with five rebounds and one assist as she was named to the Nugget Classic All-Tournament team. 

FOOTBALL – Sophomore quarterback Jordan Love (Bakersfield, Calif.) was 29-of-47 passing for 363 yards and three touchdowns in No. 14 Utah State's 33-24 Mountain West road loss at No. 21 Boise State last weekend. Love, whose 47 attempts in the game are a career-high, set the single-season school record for touchdown passes as he now has 28 on the season, passing Chuckie Keeton, who threw 27 touchdown passes in 2012.
 
2018-19 Utah State Athlete of the Week Winners
Sept. 3 – Jordan Love, Football
Sept. 10 – Dominik Eberle, Football
Sept. 17 – Isaac Arturo Arevalo, Men's Tennis
Sept. 24 – Jordan Love, Football
Oct. 1 – Adam Hendrickson, Men's Cross Country
Oct. 8 – Jordan Love, Football
Oct. 15 – Jordan Love, Football
Oct. 22 – Corinne Larsen, Volleyball
Oct. 29 – Jordan Love, Football
Nov. 5 – Darwin Thompson, Football
Nov. 12 – Cierra Simmons, Women's Cross Country
Nov. 19 – David Woodward, Football
Nov. 26 – Sam Merrill, Men's Basketball