LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's basketball locked up another opponent and ran its winning streak to nine games as the Aggies posted a 57-45 victory over San Diego State inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Thursday night. The contest marked the sixth straight that USU has held its opponent to fewer than 60 points and the third straight holding opponents to fewer than 46 points.
The Utah State defense held the Aztecs (9-3, 3-2 MW) to season lows of 45 points as SDSU connected on a season-low 31.5 percent (17-of-54) from the floor. The Aggies' offensive output of 57 points was the fewest points scored by Utah State all season. The last time USU won a game when scoring 60 or fewer points was against the very same Aztecs in the 2020 Mountain West Tournament, a 59-56 victory for the Aggies.
Junior guard Brock Miller led both sides in scoring, turning in a season-high 16 points and tying his season high with four makes from behind the arc. He was joined in double figures by junior center Neemias Queta, recording his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and a season-high 16 rebounds.
The teams traded baskets over the opening five minutes of the game, swapping the lead three times and fighting through a pair of deadlocks. The defensive intensity was evident midway through the first half as the teams combined for just 26 points with 9:30 to play as the Aggies led 14-12.
Utah State then found some separation behind baskets by freshman guard Steven Ashworth, sophomore guard Sean Bairstow and Queta to take a 20-12 lead with 6:21 to play. A 3-point basket by senior forward Alphonso Anderson gave the Aggies their first double-digit lead of the contest, 28-18, with 2:12 to play. Anderson then capped Utah State's scoring with a second 3-point bucket to give the home side a 33-20 advantage at the half.
The Aztecs fought back in the opening of the second half, trimming the Utah State margin to five points, 35-30, with 16:55 to play. A 3-ball by Miller stopped the SDSU run, but it was answered with a 3-point basket by San Diego State on the other end of the court, keeping the difference at five, 38-33. The long-range showcase continued as Ashworth knocked down a triple on the Aggies' next possession, giving Utah State a lead that never dipped below six for the rest of the game.
A 3-point basket by freshman guard Rollie Worster punctuated Utah State's scoring during the game and gave the Aggies the 57-45 victory.
Utah State (10-3, 7-0 MW) finished the game shooting 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the floor, 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from behind the arc and 100.0 percent (2-of-2) at the free throw line.
San Diego State was led in scoring by Nathan Mensah with 13 points. He was joined in double figures by Matt Mitchell with 10. In addition to shooting 31.5 percent (17-of-54) from the floor, the Aztecs also shot 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from behind the arc and 66.7 percent (6-of-9) at the charity stripe.
The very same teams will take to the court again on Saturday morning, appearing on CBS and tipping at 11:30 a.m.
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