by Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
PROVO, Utah – Utah State cut a 22-point first-half deficit to a dozen points a handful of times in the second half, but could never get closer than that in a 95-80 loss to BYU on Wednesday night at the Marriott Center.
Junior guard Sam Merrill, hounded all night by the Cougars' defense, led the Aggies with 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field, but just 1-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Freshman center Neemias Queta added 16 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks for Utah State, which shot 48.3 percent on the night (29-of-60), including 17.6 percent from beyond the arc (3-of-17), and 79.2 percent from the free throw line (19-of-24).
BYU's Yoeli Childs led all scorers in the game with 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field. He also had seven rebounds and five steals.
The Cougars (6-4), who snapped a three-game losing streak, became the second team to shoot over 50 percent against the Aggies. BYU nearly shot 56 percent from the field (33-of-59) and hit 11 of the 24 3-pointers it took.
Behind Queta's eight boards, Utah State (7-2) outrebounded its opponent for the ninth time this season, 34-24. Senior forward Dwayne Brown Jr. pulled down six rebounds for the Aggies, who only had six assists on 29 baskets.
This was the second of three straight games away from the friendly confines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum for Utah State, which will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 8, when it takes on in-state rival Weber State at 2:30 p.m., at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. The game, which will be televised on AT&T Sports Net, is part of the Beehive Classic.
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).