By: Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – Senior guard
Sam Merrill scored 24 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 57 seconds left, to help Utah State rally from 19 down to beat SEC-foe LSU 80-78 on Friday in its first game at the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic at the Montego Bay Convention Center.
This is Utah State's largest comeback since overcoming an 18-point halftime deficit to Weber State on Nov. 14, 2014, and winning 72-61 at home.
It is also Utah State's first victory over an SEC opponent since drubbing Mississippi State at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, 87-68, on Nov. 23, 2013.
Utah State (6-0) trailed LSU (3-2) by a dozen with 7:56 remaining in the contest when Merrill ignited a game-ending 23-9 run by knocking down a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer.
The Tigers' Skylar Mays, who led all scorers in the game with 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line, gave the designated hosts a 78-77 lead with 2:21 to go after he knocked down a pair of free throws.
Following Merrill's go-ahead 3-pointer, LSU turned the ball over for the 16th and final time on the night, and the Aggies ran out the remaining seconds on the clock.
Junior forward
Alphonso Anderson also scored 24 points for the Aggies, who shot a sizzling 56.0 percent from the field in the second half alone (14-of-25), including 77.8 percent from the 3-point line (7-of-9), and 88.2 percent from the free throw line (15-of-17).
Merrill and Anderson combined for 32 of Utah State's 50 second-half points. Sophomore forward
Justin Bean filled out the stat sheet for the Aggies as he had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, to go along with six assists and two steals.
The final Utah State player to score in double figures was senior guard
Diogo Brito with 12.
The Tigers (4-1) scored the first six points of the game and didn't relinquish the lead until an old-fashioned three-point play by Bean with 3:01 to go made it 77-74 for the designated visitors.
LSU came into the game shooting just 28.6 percent from 3-point range, and had only made at most seven 3-pointers in a game, but was 9-for-18 in the first half alone. As a result, the Tigers enjoyed a seemingly comfortable 44-30 lead at the break.
After hitting those nine 3-pointers in the first half, LSU made just 2-of-7 from downtown during the final 20 minutes of play.
Utah State now turns its attention to North Texas (2-4), which lost to Rhode Island 60-47 in its opening game of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic. The game, which is slated to tip at 4:30 p.m. (MT) on Sunday, will be televised live on the CBS Sports Network.
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