LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's basketball leads the nation at the charity stripe, making an NCAA-best 238 free throws this season. The Aggies are fifth in the nation with 310 attempts at the free throw line.
Senior guard Sam Merrill is the largest contributor to the Aggies' success at the line, as he ranks No. 20 in the nation with 61 free throws made. In Utah State's 65-62 victory over Florida on Dec. 21, fellow senior guard Diogo Brito was a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line with less than 30 seconds on the clock to seal the victory for the Aggies. On the year, Brito is 6-for-6 at the free throw line with less than a minute to play.
Sophomore forward Justin Bean provided the late-game heroics for Utah State in the Aggies' 76-74 overtime victory over South Florida on Dec. 18. Bean recorded an offensive rebound and putback with 0.2 seconds remaining in overtime to put the exclamation point on the USU victory. Bean has been strong on the glass for the Aggies the entire season, pulling down double-digit rebounds in all but three games and ranks second in the nation with 160 total rebounds on the year. Bean is also fourth in the nation with eight double-doubles, fifth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (4.29) sixth in the nation in total rebounds per game (11.4) and ranks just outside the Top-25 with 7.14 defensive rebounds per game (27th).
As a team, Utah State is second in the nation with 591 total rebounds this season, eighth in rebounding margin (+10.0), ninth in defensive rebounds per game (30.36) and No. 11 in total rebounds per game (42.21).
Utah State is also one of the best in the nation in moving the ball, logging 15 or more assists in each of the last two games and totaling double-digit assists in all but two games this season. In all, the Aggies have totaled 225 assists on the year to rank No. 7 in the nation and carry an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.33 to rank No. 24.
Individually, Merrill is No. 23 in the nation with a 2.68 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is currently the sixth-best in school history in a single season.
Utah State rounds out its national prominence by being ranked No. 14 in the land with a plus-16.5 scoring margin this season.
The Aggies return to the action on Saturday, Dec. 28, hosting Eastern Oregon at 2 p.m., inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
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).
