LOGAN, Utah — Utah State men's basketball (12-1, 0-0 MW) capped off its non-conference slate with a 80-65 victory over East Tennessee State (7-5, 0-0 Southern) on Friday night inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
The Aggies had four scorers in double-digits with graduate guard Darius Brown II leading the pack with 19 points, eight assists and three rebounds. Junior wing Great Osobor recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Ian Martinez added 13 points and junior guard Josh Uduje tallied 12.
USU started the game on a 7-3 run behind five points from redshirt freshman guard Mason Falslev. Buccaneer junior forward Jaden Seymour responded with a 6-0 spurt himself, claiming a 12-10 East Tennessee State lead. ETSU built its largest lead of the contest 17-12 midway through the first half as Utah State went without a field goal for five minutes.
Brown jump started the Aggie offense on the next possession to kickoff a 11-0 USU run that put Utah State up 23-17 with less than five minutes before halftime. Over the final four minutes, Brown continued to score, outshooting ETSU 9-7 by himself to put the Aggies up 32-27 at the break.
Both squads traded free throws and baskets through the first two minutes of the second half before a 7-2 Aggie run spurred by three points apiece from Falsev and Osobor helped the Aggies create separation 43-37. Over the next two minutes, Utah State outscored the Buccaneers 7-1 building to a 54-44 USU lead.
After trading more free throws, the Aggies pulled away with free throws, outmatching ETSU 16-9 over a six minute stretch where Seymour was the only Buccaneer that was able to make a shot. In the final four minutes, Uduje and sophomore guard Javon Jackson combined for three 3-pointers to give Utah State a 17-point lead, its largest margin of the game, before the Aggies ultimately won 80-65.
Overall, USU shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field, 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from the perimeter and 66.7 percent (24-of-36) at the free-throw line.
Seymour paced the Buccaneers with 30 points, nine rebounds and a steal. ETSU shot 33.3 percent (20-of-60) from the field, 16.0 percent (4-of-25) from downtown and 60.0 percent (21-of-35) at the charity stripe.
Utah State begins Mountain West play on the road at Air Force on Tuesday, Jan. 2, at 2 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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