by: Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State's men's basketball team had its 15-game home winning streak snapped Saturday night as the Aggies lost to No. 13/12 San Diego State 77-68 in front of 10,017 fans at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Senior forward
Sam Merrill led the Aggies (13-4, 2-2 Mountain West) with 26 points, while sophomore center
Neemias Queta had his first double-double of the season with 15 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Queta also finished with a game-high three blocks, tying Nate Harris (2003-06) for fifth all-time in school history with 90 career blocks.
Malachi Flynn paced four players in double figures for the Aztecs (15-0, 4-0 MW) with 22 points, shooting 5-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-5 from 3-point range, and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
Matt Mitchell had 19 points, Jordan Schakel finished with 11 and Yanni Wetzell chipped in 10 for San Diego State, which shot 50.9 percent on the night (27-of-53), including 45.0 percent from downtown (9-of-20), and 82.4 percent from the charity stripe (14-of-17).
Utah State shot 42.6 percent from the field (23-of-54), including just 26.1 percent from 3-point range (6-of-23), and only 66.7 percent at the free throw line (16-of-24).
A basket by Queta gave the Aggies an 8-7 lead with 14:40 remaining in the first half. It was the final time Utah State led in the game.
San Diego State snapped an 11-all tie when Flynn hit a 3-pointer with 11:38 to go in the game, sparking an 8-0 run for the visitors.
The Aztecs, who led by as many as 16 in the game, were up 34-27 at halftime.
Utah State will look to snap its two-game losing streak, the first for USU under head coach
Craig Smith, when the Aggies hit the road to take on Air Force on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 9 p.m. The game between Utah State and the Falcons will be televised live on ESPN2.
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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