by: Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Utah State threatened to put an end to No. 4 San Diego State's bid for a perfect season, but the Aztecs used a strong second half to get past the upset-minded Aggies 80-68 on Saturday night at Viejas Arena.
Senior guard
Sam Merrill had 16 points, a career-high-tying 12 assists and five rebounds for Utah State (17-7, 6-5 Mountain West), which had its three-game winning streak snapped. Sophomore guard
Brock Miller added 15 points and sophomore forward
Justin Bean chipped in 13 points and five rebounds.
Merrill knocked down a couple of free throws early in the second half to give the Aggies their largest lead of the night at 41-31. Following the freebies, the Aztecs proceeded to go on a 23-8 run to surge in front, 54-49, with 12:41 to go.
A 5-0 run by Merrill pulled Utah State even at 54-all, but SDSU scored the next seven points and never looked back. The Aggies got to within three on one occasion, but the Aztecs pulled away and led by as many as 14 late in the game.
Matt Mitchell led all scorers on the night with 28 points for the Aztecs (23-0, 12-0 MW), who remained the only unbeaten team in all of college basketball. Three other SDSU players scored in double figures as Malachi Flynn and KJ Feagin had 15 points apiece, while Yanni Watzell finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Flynn scored 10 straight points for the Aztecs during a three-minute stretch of the first half to help the hosts open a 20-12 lead.
Utah State countered with a half-ending 27-11 spurt, capped by a Merrill 3-pointer right before the buzzer, to take a 39-31 lead into the break. The Aggies held the Aztecs scoreless for close to seven minutes during the first 20 minutes of play, and scoreless from the field over the final 2:52.
The Aztecs shot 48.1 percent from the field (25-of-52) on the night, including a respectable 43.8 percent from beyond the arc (14-of-32). In the second half alone, San Diego State was 9-for-19 from downtown for a 47.4 percent clip, which helped the hosts overcome the double-digit deficit.
Utah State returns to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 5, when the Aggies welcome UNLV (11-12, 6-4 MW), to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The game, which will be broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network, is slated to begin at 8 p.m.
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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