PEORIA, Illinois – Utah State's men's basketball team (1-1, 0-0 MW) fell for the first time of the 2023-24 campaign, coming up short versus Bradley in overtime Saturday evening at Carver Arena 72-66.
The Aggies' night was highlighted by strong individual performances from junior wing Great Osobor and graduate guard Darius Brown II. Osobor led all scorers in the contest with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, one point shy of a career high, to go along with seven boards, three assists, four blocks and a steal. Brown went for 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds and eight assists while playing all 45 minutes.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Aggies used a 6-0 run to take a 30-28 lead into the locker room led by a 14-point half from Osobor, but the Braves opened the second half on a 12-4 run. After facing its largest deficit of the contest, trailing 51-42 with 9:21 remaining, Utah State scored 14 of the game's next 17 points to retake the lead. The teams exchanged baskets during the final minutes of regulation, but neither side was able to gain separation, eventually heading to overtime tied at 62-apiece.
Utah State was plagued with foul trouble late in the game, as three different Aggies – senior guard Ian Martinez, graduate wing Max Agbonkpolo and redshirt sophomore center Isaac Johnson – found themselves with four fouls with over six minutes remaining in regulation.
In what was USU's first overtime period since the team earned a 91-89 win over San Diego on Nov. 17, 2023, the Aggies were held without a made field goal (0-for-6) and outscored 10-4.
Utah State finished the game shooting 33.8 percent (24-of-71), including 25.8 percent (8-of-31) from 3-point range and 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the free throw line. USU recorded 18 assists on 24 made baskets, and won the rebounding battle 47-46 including a 12-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
Johnson finished with 11 points, the first double-figure scoring game of his collegiate career, while also bringing down seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action. In his USU debut, Maryland transfer Ian Martinez played 28 minutes off the bench, totaling nine points and seven boards.
Connor Hickman paced Bradley with a team-high 21 points, to go along with eight boards and four assists. Malevy Leons led the team on the glass with nine rebounds. The Braves shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the field, including 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from 3-point range, and were 13-of-25 (.520) from the free throw line.
Utah State returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 14, when it hosts Southern Utah at 7 p.m. (MT), inside of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The game will be streamed live on Mountain West Network.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 men's basketball season are already on sale and can be purchased by visiting www.utahstateaggies.com or by calling the Utah State ticket office at 1-888-USTATE-1.
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
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