LOGAN, Utah — Utah State men's basketball (9-1, 0-0 MW) extended its winning streak to eight with a wire-to-wire victory over Northwest Nazarene (4-4, 2-0 GNAC) on Saturday night inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Junior wing Great Osobor put in a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead USU. Four other Aggies scored in double digits as redshirt freshman guard Mason Falslev scored 14 points, redshirt sophomore center Isaac Johnson put up 13, senior guard Ian Martinez tallied 11 and junior guard Josh Uduje added 10. Graduate senior guard Darius Brown II logged 11 assists and a career-best six steals.
Utah State kicked off the contest with a 19-2 run over the first four minutes featuring dunks from Osobor and Martinez, along with a 3-pointer from Uduje. Northwest Nazarene chipped the lead down to seven, 25-18, over the next seven minutes, but Falslev slammed in a hat trick of dunks to go along with a Martinez triple for a quick nine-point burst to lead 34-18 with under six minutes in the first half. Both sides traded baskets over the final minutes of the half, and Utah State went into the locker room up 46-29.
After the break, 3-pointers from Osobor, Johnson and Uduje helped maintain a 22-point margin midway through the second half 65-43. The Nighthawks counterattacked with a 7-0 run over the next two minutes, but Utah State went on a 15-2 run to close out the final seven minutes. Brown and sophomore guard Javon Jackson powered the surge from behind the arc as the Aggies secured a 31-point victory, 84-53.
Northwest Nazarene was led by redshirt freshman guard Easton Reagan who recorded 12 points, two rebounds and an assist in 17 minutes.
USU shot 51.7 percent ( 31-of-60) from the field, 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from downtown and 93.3 (14-of-15) at the charity stripe. The Nighthawks shot 36.2 percent (17-of-47) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from 3-point range and 83.3 percent (15-of-18) at the free-throw line.
Utah State heads on the road next week to take on Santa Clara on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m. (MT).
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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