by: Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations

LOGAN, Utah – Junior guard Sam Merrill recorded a double-double with a game-high 18 points and a career-best 12 assists to help Utah State earn a 79-62 win over Air Force in the Aggies' Mountain West home opener Saturday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
 
Merrill shot 5-of-9 from the field, including 1-of-3 from 3-point range, and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Those 12 assists are tied for the 10th-most in a single game in school history and the most by an Aggie since David Pak had 12 helpers on Jan. 7, 2006.
 
Utah State (11-4, 1-1 Mountain West) improved to 7-0 at home for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign, when the Aggies won their first 10 home game of that season.
 
In their league-opening loss at No. 6 Nevada on Wednesday night, the Aggies struggled mightily from the field, shooting just a season-low 26.2 percent (16-of-61) from the floor. That was not the case this time around.
 
Utah State shot 55.6 percent from the field (29-of-52), including 42.3 percent from beyond the arc (11-of-26), and 83.3 percent from the charity stripe (10-of-12). Furthermore, the Aggies had 25 assists – the most since tallying 27 against these same Falcons on Feb. 25, 2017 – on their 29 made baskets.
 
Freshman center Neemias Queta also had a double-double for the Aggies with 13 points and a game-best 10 rebounds, helping Utah State win the battle of the boards, 39-19. Senior forward Quinn Taylor and redshirt freshman guard Brock Miller joined Merrill and Queta in double-figure scoring with 16 and 15 points apiece, respectively.
 
Taylor and Queta, who combined to shoot 12-of-13 from the field, also had four and three assists, respectively.
 
The Aggies dominated the points in the paint, 34-16, but committed 17 turnovers, which led to 22 points for the Falcons.
 
Air Force (5-9, 0-2 MW), which has lost two straight and four of its last five, had two players score in double figures. Keaton Van Soelen led the way with 16 points, while Lavelle Scottie chipped in 14.
 
A.J. Walker scored on a layup to cap a 7-0 run by Air Force that pulled the visitors to within 27-23 with 7:01 remaining in the first half.
 
Ignited by a Queta free throw, Utah State broke the game open with a 17-5 run that sent the Aggies into the break leading 44-28. Merrill scored 12 of his points during the first 20 minutes as Utah State shot a sizzling 56.0 percent from the field (14-of-25).
 
Miller gave the Aggies their biggest lead of the night coming out of the break when he opened the second half with a 3-pointer that made it 47-28. The Falcons did pare the deficit to nine with 11:48 to go, but that's as close as they would get the rest of the way.
 
Utah State, which has won 11 straight at home against Air Force, now leads the series with the Falcons 17-5.
 
The Aggies remain at home on Wednesday, Jan. 9, when the Aggies welcome Fresno State to town. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
 
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-