By: Wade Denniston, USU Athletic Media Relations
LOGAN, Utah – New Mexico's Jay Allen-Tovar scored on a layup a little over a minute into the game against Utah State.
Nineteen seconds later, sophomore guard
Steven Ashworth knocked down a 3-pointer for the Aggies' first points of the contest, igniting a 15-2 run in the process, and the rout was on.
Senior forward
Justin Bean had 21 points and 10 rebounds – both game highs – for his 17th double-double of the season and the 43rd of his career, while fellow senior forward
Brandon Horvath added 19 points, as Utah State rolled past New Mexico 81-56 on Tuesday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Junior guard
Sean Bairstow contributed 12 points and Ashworth finished with 10 points, six assists and five rebounds as the Aggies (16-13, 7-9 Mountain West) emphatically snapped their four-game losing streak.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. led the Lobos (11-17, 3-11 MW) with 13 points, KJ Jenkins had 12 and Allen-Tovar chipped in 11, to go along with a team-best six rebounds.
The Aggies, who have won five straight against UNM, put this one away early as they knocked down their first eight shots, including four from beyond the arc, as they opened a 20-7 lead with 14:40 to go in the game.
A putback basket by New Mexico's Saquan Singleton pared the deficit to 20-9, but that's as close as the Lobos would get the rest of the way.
Utah State led 38-21 at the break, holding New Mexico to its fewest points in the first half this season.
The Aggies welcomed the return of
Brock Miller, who played for the first time since Dec. 29, 2021, as he had missed the last 14 games due to an injury. The senior guard was treated to a loud ovation when he checked into the game for the first time at the 14:22 mark of the first half.
Miller missed the first two 3-point shots he attempted before knocking down a trey with 14:13 left in the game to give Utah State a 53-28 lead. Those were his only points of the game in 12 minutes of work.
Defensively, the Aggies limited the Lobos to just 36.4 percent shooting from the field (24-of-66), including 29.4 percent from 3-point range (5-of-17). Utah State has now held 10 of its opponents this season to less than 40 percent shooting and 12 opponents to under 30 percent from 3-point range.
New Mexico shot just 30.0 percent from the free throw line (3-of-10). The three made free throws and 30.0 percent shooting from the charity stripe are both season lows for an Aggie opponent.
Jaelen House, the Lobos' second-leading scorer at 17.0 points per game coming in, was held to a season-low two points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field. In his last five games alone, he was averaging 22.6 ppg, which included a career-high 42-point outburst at Air Force.
Utah State shot 52.5 percent (32-of-61) from the field, marking the 12th time this year that it has shot at least 50 percent from the field, going 11-1 in those contests. The Aggies shot 36.4 percent from long range (8-of-22) and 90.0 percent from the free throw line (9-of-10).
Behind Ashworth's six helpers and Bean's five dimes, Utah State tallied 23 assists on 32 made baskets. The Aggies have had 20-plus assists in 12 games this season, and are 12-0 in those contests.
Utah State is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 8:30 p.m., when it hosts Colorado State on Senior Night. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports 1.
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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