by Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah State set the tone early, scoring the first nine points of the game, and the Aggies never relinquished the lead in a 76-67 victory over Weber State in Game 2 of the Beehive Classic on Saturday at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
In the first game of Saturday's Beehive Classic, BYU defeated Utah 74-59.
With the win over the Wildcats, the Aggies (8-2) bounced back from their loss to the Cougars on Wednesday. Junior guard
Sam Merrill led the way with a game-high 19 points, while freshman center
Neemias Queta added 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocks before fouling out late in the game.
Freshman guard
Tauriawn Knight added 10 points and three rebounds off the bench for Utah State, which led by as much as 18 and snapped a two-game losing streak to Weber State. The Aggies now lead the overall series with their rivals from Ogden, 43-28.
Behind a double-double by junior guard
Diogo Brito with 13 points and a career-high 11 boards, Utah State outrebounded Weber State 42-34. It marked the 10th time this season the Aggies have won the battle of the boards.
Four players scored in double figures for the Wildcats (5-4), who lost for the second straight time after defeating BYU 113-103. Cody John had a team-best 16 points against the Aggies, while Caleb Nero scored 15 off the bench. Zach Braxton and Brekkott Chapman finished with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Defensively, Utah State limited Weber State to just 39.3 percent shooting from the field (24-of-61), including 27.3 percent from 3-point land (6-of-22).
Conversely, the Aggies shot 47.5 percent from the field (28-of-59), 40.0 percent from 3-point range (6-of-15) and 63.6 percent from the charity stripe (14-of-22). Utah State had 16 assists on 28 baskets, including three helpers each from Brito and Queta.
Queta capped Utah State's 9-0 run to start the game with a dunk. Weber State's first basket came at the 15:48 mark on a 3-pointer by Chapman, but the Aggies continued to put the pedal to the metal as they opened a 21-7 lead with 12:17 to go.
Merrill gave Utah State its largest lead of the night at 34-16 with 5:32 left when he canned his third 3-pointer of the opening half. The Aggies led 39-27 at intermission.
The Wildcats pared the deficit to six on three occasions during the final 5:52 of the game, but could never get closer than that.
Utah State will return to the friendly confines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, Dec. 15, when the Aggies host Alabama State at 7 p.m.
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-