ST. LOUIS, Missouri - Junior forward Great Osobor led the Aggies in scoring and rebounds with a total of 24 points and 13 boards, helping Utah State men's basketball (6-1, 0-0 Mountain West) defeat Saint Louis (5-3) 81-76 at the Chaifetz Arena Tuesday night.
 
Two more Aggies scored in double figures in the win as redshirt sophomore center Isaac Johnson had a career-best 16 points, while redshirt freshman guard Mason Falslev finished with 11.
 
The game was back and forth at the start as neither team could maintain the lead. Johnson had notable defensive plays, recording a block and two rebounds to push the momentum in the Aggies' favor. With a layup by Falslev, USU took the 8-6 lead at 16:41 and never lost it for the remainder of the half. 
 
In the first half, USU shot 57.58 percent from the field and 30.77 percent from beyond the arc. Osobor had 12 points, was 6-for-7 from the field, recording one assist and eight boards. Johnson had 14 points, was 6-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, had three rebounds and two assists. The Aggies went into the locker room up 43-35 at the end of the first half. 
 
To start the second half, Johnson made a jumper, which was then followed by a free throw made by Osobor. Falslev got a defensive board which led to a 3-point shot made by senior guard Ian Martinez to give the Aggies a 14-point lead with 18:24 remaining. The Aggies led by as many as 20 points, 60-40, with 12:39 remaining.
 
Gibson Jimmerson kept Saint Louis in the game with a total of 28 points, 14 of which were recorded in the second half. With 3:39 remaining in the game Saint Louis went on a 9-0 run cutting the Aggies lead to 79-71. With a 3-pointer from graduate senior guard Darius Brown II, USU regained their eight-point lead. Saint Louis quickly followed with a 5-0 run to cut the lead down to three points with 0:18 seconds remaining in the game. The Aggies sealed the win with two free throws made by Brown, a block from Osobor and a block from Martinez. 
 
Overall, USU shot 57.4 percent (35-of-61) from the field, including 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from deep, and was 50.0 percent (5-of-10) at the free throw line. Saint Louis shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the floor, including 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from behind the arc, and was 92.3 percent (12-of-13) at the charity stripe.
 
Utah State returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 2, when it hosts UC Irvine at 7:00 p.m. (MT) at 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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