by: Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
SAN DIEGO, California – Matt Bradley scored 22 points and Keshad Johnson added 14 as San Diego State avenged an earlier setback to Utah State by beating the Aggies 75-56 on Tuesday night at Viejas Arena.
In the first meeting between these two teams, the Aggies (15-12, 6-8 Mountain West) handed the Aztecs (16-6. 8-3 MW) their largest defeat of the season, 75-57 on Jan. 26 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The 18-point margin marked the second-largest for USU in series history.
San Diego State made sure to turn the tables on Utah State this time around as the 19-point loss tied the Aggies' largest of the season.
Senior forward
Justin Bean filled the stat sheet for the Aggies with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. Fellow senior forward
Brandon Horvath was the only other Utah State player to score in double figures as he had 10 points.
The Aggies shot 40.4 percent from the field (21-of-52), including 27.8 percent from 3-point range (5-of-18), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (9-of-12). Junior guard
Rylan Jones led Utah State with five assists as the visitors finished with 14 helpers on 21 made baskets.
Adam Seiko joined Bradley and Johnson in double-figure scoring for the Aztecs with 11 points, while Nathan Mensah chipped in eight points and eight rebounds.
San Diego State shot 51.7 percent from the field on the night (30-of-58), including a sizzling 50.0 percent from beyond the arc (7-of-14), and 72.7 percent from the charity stripe (8-of-11).
The Aggies couldn't have asked for a better start to the game as they jumped out to a 10-4 lead with 15:24 remaining in the first half.
San Diego State used an 8-2 run to square the game at 12-apiece. Down 23-21, Utah State scored five straight points, capped by a 3-pointer by Bean, to move in front 26-23 with 8:18 left until the break.
Bradley gave the Aztecs the lead back for good when he knocked down a jumper to make it 27-26 with 6:22 remaining until halftime. SDSU closed the half on 19-8 run to go into the break with a 42-34 advantage.
Utah State got as close as six in the second half, but trailed each of the final 20 minutes of the game.
The Aggies are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 4 p.m., when they continue their brief two-game road swing by taking on Boise State at ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho. The game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.
For more information on Utah State's men's basketball program, follow the Aggies on Facebook at usumensbasketball, on Twitter at @usubasketball and on Instagram at @usubasketball. Fans can also watch USU men's basketball highlights by visiting youtube.com/utahstateathletics.
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