By: Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
LOGAN, Utah – Behind 21 points from senior guard
Sam Merrill, the No. 15/16 Utah State men's basketball team wrapped up its season-opening five-game homestand with an 82-50 win over UTSA in a non-conference game Monday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
The Aggies (5-0) have now scored at least 80 points in each of their first five games for the first time since the 1986-87 season and for just the sixth time in school history. Their average margin of victory in the first five contests is 32.6 points.
Merrill, who scored in double figures for the 28th straight game dating back to last season, has now scored 1,655 points in his career as he moved ahead of Jalen Moore (1,634) and into ninth place all-time in school history.
Senior guard
Diogo Brito added a season-high 17 points off the bench, to go along with a season-high-tying seven boards, as the Aggies outrebounded the Roadrunners (0-5), 55-36, including a 17-12 edge on the offensive glass.
Three Utah State players had double-digit rebounds, led by both sophomore forward
Justin Bean and junior forward
Alphonso Anderson with 11-apiece. For Anderson, it was a career high. Junior center
Kuba Karwowski grabbed 10 boards, to go along with eight points, four blocks and two assists.
Utah State held UTSA to 28.6 percent shooting from the field (20-of-70), including just 23.3 percent from 3-point range (7-of-30). Overall, the Aggies have now held three of their five opponents to less than 40 percent shooting and two of their opponents to less than 30 percent shooting.
The Aggies shot 46.6 percent from the field (34-of-73), including 29.0 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-31), and 71.4 percent from the free throw line (5-of-7). Bean had five of Utah State's 17 assists on the night.
Sophomore guard
Brock Miller was the final Aggie to score in double figures with 10.
Three Roadrunners scored in double figures, led by Jhivvan Jackson with 15. Eric Czumbel added 12 off the bench and Keaton Wallace chipped in 10.
Utah State scored 11 of the first 13 points of the game, but UTSA battled back to take a 16-13 lead with 12:11 to go in the opening half.
However, the Aggies used a 17-3 run, capped by a Merrill 3-ball, to move in front 30-19 with 6:49 left until the break. Merrill scored the final five points of the half for Utah State, sending the hosts into the locker room with a 41-29 lead.
The Roadrunners never got closer than 10 in the second half and did not score the final 4:31 of the game.
Utah State will now travel to Montego Bay, Jamaica, to compete in the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic. The Aggies will take on LSU (2-1) on Friday, Nov. 22, at 5 p.m. (MT), followed by a matchup with North Texas (1-3) just two days later at 4:30 p.m. (MT).
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).
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