GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Utah State men's basketball (4-1, 0-0 MW) defeated Akron (4-1, 0-0 MAC) 65-62 on Monday night inside John Gray Gym. Neither team ever led by more than two possessions as USU held off a late Zips comeback attempt to earn a berth to the Cayman Islands Classic championship game on Tuesday night.
 
Junior wing Great Osobor put in his third-straight double-double performance for the Aggies with 24 points, 11 rebounds and a block to lead Utah State. Redshirt freshman guard Mason Falslev and junior guard Josh Uduje scored nine points each, with senior guard Ian Martinez adding eight points himself.
 
In the first half, Utah State got off to an early 5-0 lead behind a bucket from Osobor and a 3-pointer from redshirt sophomore center Isaac Johnson. Akron was able to tie the game at 11 with a fast-break 3-pointer from senior forward Sammy Hunter, but graduate wing Max Agbonkpolo responded with a triple of his own to regain the Aggie lead 14-11 eight minutes into the matchup. The Zips responded by slowly building a four-point 26-22 lead, their largest of the contest, before Falslev started an 11-3 Aggie run with a free throw, which was capped off by an Agbonkpolo fast-break layup to take a 33-29 lead into the locker room. It was a balanced first-half attack for USU with seven different Aggies scoring in the first 20 minutes.
 
After trading blows following the break, Utah State pulled away with a 10-2 run behind scores from Martinez and Osobor to capture a six-point lead, 49-43, 11 minutes into the second half.  The Aggies and Zips continued their back-and-forth play the rest of the way, with Akron coming as close as one point, 59-58, after two free throws from senior forward Enrique Freeman with 1:37 left in the game, but Utah State would never surrender the lead as the Aggies hit six free throws in the final 80 seconds to seal the three-point victory.
 
USU shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the field, including 30.0 percent (3-of-10) from deep, and converted 66.7 percent (10-of-15) of its free throws. The Aggie defense forced 12 turnovers from Akron and Utah State outrebounded the Zips 33-31, including two offensive rebounds from Osobor in the final minute that were crucial in winning the matchup.
 
Freeman led Akron with 25 points, 13 rebounds and an assist. The Zips shot 37.7 percent (20-of-53) from the field, including 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from downtown, and made 85.0 percent (17-of-20) of their free throws.
 
The Aggies finish up their time on the islands by playing Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 5:30 p.m. (MT) in the championship game of the Cayman Islands Classic. The game will be broadcast on FloHoops.
 
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).
 
-USU-