LOGAN, Utah – Aggie fans were able to catch their first glimpse of the 2023-24 USU men's basketball team on Friday night as Utah State defeated Montana State University Billings 73-64 in its lone exhibition game.
The Aggie squad, led by head coach
Danny Sprinkle, boasts 13 newcomers, as well as new coaching staff, who were able to get their first taste of Spectrum Magic before officially opening the season on Monday.
USU was led by redshirt freshman guard
Mason Falslev with 23 points, redshirt sophomore center
Isaac Johnson with 13 and junior guard
Josh Uduje with 10. Junior forward
Kalifa Sakho led the Aggies with eight rebounds, while graduate senior guard
Darius Brown II logged a game-high seven assists.
MSU Billings scored the opening points for its only lead of the night at 2-0. USU responded with a 7-0 run for the 9-2 edge and never trailed again. The Aggies closed out the first half with an 11-0 run, capped by a Johnson and-1, to lead 31-20 heading into the break.
Utah State maintained the double-digit advantage for the majority of the second half, with a Falslev 3-pointer giving USU its largest lead of the night 66-43 with just under seven minutes to play. The Yellowjackets trimmed at the deficit in the final four minutes, but the Aggies held on for the 73-64 win.
Overall, USU shot 44.3 percent (27-of-61) from the field, 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from behind the arc and 52.4 percent (11-of-21) at the free throw line. MSU Billings shot 37.7 percent (20-fo-53) from the floor, 33.3 percent (10-of-30) from beyond the 3-point line and 82.4 percent (14-of-17) at the charity stripe.
Utah State officially opens its 2023-24 campaign on Monday, Nov. 6, as the Aggies host South Dakota Mines at 7:30 p.m.
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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