BOISE, Idaho - Utah State senior guard RJ Eytle-Rock led three Aggies in double figures as USU lost 68-57 at Boise State on Saturday.

Eytle-Rock scored a team-high 16 points and was followed by senior forward Brandon Horvath with 11 points and freshman guard Zee Hamoda with 10 points off the bench.

The 11-point loss is the first double-digit defeat by the Aggies in Boise since joining the Mountain West Conference. Utah State's 18 turnovers led to 20 points for the Broncos, who also lived at the charity stripe during the game, shooting 19-of-28 at the line. The Aggies (15-13, 6-9 MW) recorded season lows of both four free throw makes on six free throw attempts.

The game started slow as the first points were not put on the board until Eytle-Rock knocked down one of seven triples for the Aggies about three minutes into the contest. The teams fought through 10 led changes during the opening half with neither team leading by more than six points. 

An alley-oop layup by Horvath off a pass from Eytle-Rock gave the Aggies their largest lead of the opening half, 30-27, with eight seconds to play. Utah State ultimately went into the break with a 30-29 lead following a last-second buzzer beater by the Broncos.

Horvath opened the scoring for the Aggies in the second half, making a layup beind an assist by sophomore guard Steven Ashworth, to take a 32-29 lead. Utah State finished the night with 15 assists, marking the 20th game the Aggies have recorded 15 or more assists this season.

Boise State (21-6, 12-2 MW) countered with an 8-0 run to take a five-point lead and prompt a Utah State timeout. Minutes later, senior forward Justin Bean converted a layup and Hamoda knocked down a triple to tie the game at 39-39 with just over 15 minutes to play. Another dunk by Bean gave the Aggies a 46-45 lead with just under 12 minutes, but it was the last advantage for Utah State in the game.

The Aggies cut a Boise State lead of as much as six to two points when junior guard Rylan Jones hit a 3-point shot with 2:59 on the clock. BSU then finished the game on an 11-2 run to seal the win. 

Utah State finished the night shooting 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the floor, 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from behind the 3-point line and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) at the free throw line. The Broncos shot 52.4 percent (22-of-42) from the floor, 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from behind the 3-point line and 67.9 percent (19-of-28) at the free throw line.

Utah State closes out the home portion of its 2021-22 season next week, hosting New Mexico on Tuesday, Feb. 22, and Colorado State on Saturday, Feb. 26.

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