FORT COLLINS, Colorado – Utah State shot 18-for-39 from 3-point range, the fourth-most made threes in a single game in program history, powering the Aggies to an 88-79 win at Colorado State on Saturday night at Moby Arena.
USU rained fire from outside early and often, scoring their first four buckets of the game on 3-pointers and quickly building a double-digit cushion. As the Aggies cooled off from the perimeter, the Rams clawed back into the contest to turn the remainder of the first half into a back-and-forth affair featuring eight lead changes. USU reclaimed the lead off a dunk from senior
Trevin Dorius to enter halftime with a 33-32 lead.
Junior
Steven Ashworth immediately set the tone at the start of the second frame with a pair of treys, foreshadowing a 6-for-11 performance from behind the arc from the Aggie captain in the second half. Utah State shot 12-for-21 as a team in the second half to hold Colorado State at arm's length for much of the half. The Aggies scored 55 points on only 34 possessions after halftime.
The Rams briefly cut the lead to six points in the final minute before USU iced the victory via three free throws from junior
Max Shulga and a dunk from graduate senior
Dan Akin.
Ashworth led the Aggies with 26 points on 8-for-17 shooting from 3-point territory, tying for the third-most 3-pointers in a game by an Aggie in program history. Ashworth also accomplished the feat of eight made threes earlier this season versus Oral Roberts..
Graduate senior
Taylor Funk added 21 points on an efficient 8-for-13 shooting, including 5-for-9 from behind the arc. Senior
Sean Bairstow chipped in 11 points and a team-high nine assists while Akin also reached double figures with 11 points, tying for the team lead with six rebounds alongside Dorius.
The game marks Utah State's third time this season making 18 or more 3-pointers, tying the Aggies for the most such games among all Division-I teams. The mark of 18 triples also ranks fourth all-time in school history for a single contest.
Up Next
Utah State (19-5, 8-3 MW) hosts league-leading San Diego State (18-5, 9-2 MW) on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m. (MT) at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
For more information on Utah State's men's basketball program, follow the Aggies on Facebook at usumensbasketball, on Twitter at @usubasketball and on Instagram at @usubasketball. Fans can also watch USU men's basketball highlights by visiting youtube.com/utahstateathletics.
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