SAN DIEGO, Calif. – An 18-0 Aztec run midway through the first half proved too large a hole to dig out from as Utah State men's basketball lost 85-75 to San Diego State on Wednesday night at Viejas Arena.
After a pair of free throws from graduate forward Taylor Funk trimmed SDSU's early lead to one point at 12-11, the Aztecs blitzed USU with an 18-0 run off the strength of four 3-pointers from Adam Seiko, who shot 6-for-6 from behind the arc in the opening half. San Diego State's lead swelled to as many as 20 points on multiple occasions before USU used a 9-0 run late in the half to head to the locker rooms facing only a 42-27 deficit.
Utah State continued chipping away at the lead in the second half, piecing together spurts of 5-0, 6-0 and 5-0 that eventually cut the advantage to single digits. A layup each from graduate forward Dan Akin and Funk brought USU within six points with four minutes remaining, but the Aggies were unable to further threaten SDSU's lead before the final buzzer.
Akin recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Funk led the Aggies in scoring with 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting, including a 4-for-9 mark from 3-point territory, plus three steals. Senior guard Sean Bairstow added 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Steven Ashworth led USU with seven assists in addition to eight points.
USU shot 47.5 percent (29-for-61) from the field and 33.3 percent (11-for-33) from behind the arc but was unable to overcome a 54.5 percent (12-for-22) shooting performance from the Aztecs on 3-point attempts.
Up Next
Utah State (16-5, 5-3 MW) stays in the Golden State to take on Fresno State (7-12, 3-5 MW) on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m. (MT). The Aggies won their first matchup versus the Bulldogs, 67-54, on Dec. 31, at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
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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