Box Score LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's basketball (10-1, 1-0 MW) came up just short in its first loss of the season, falling to UC San Diego 75-73 Tuesday evening in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
In a game which came down to the final buzzer, Utah State led for nearly 25 minutes and maintained control through much of the contest, but a late run from the Tritons made the difference in this one.
After an injury to starting Aggie point guard
Drake Allen in the opening minutes of the contest, senior guard
Deyton Albury entered and made an immediate impact, providing a spark for USU. Soon after checking in, Albury scored eight-straight points to help the Aggies pull ahead 22-17 after trailing for most of the game to that point.
Albury connected on all five of his first-half shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, to score a season-high 12 points in the first half alone. USU scored 10 of the final 14 first-half points to take a 39-32 lead into the break, its largest of the night to that point.
Despite a 6-0 run by the Tritons out of the gates to start the second half, Utah State responded, maintaining its lead until the 7:57 mark of the half, when a 7-0 UC San Diego run gave the Tritons their first lead since the 4:08 mark of the first half. The teams exchanged leads for the next few minutes, before another 7-0 Triton run with just under two minutes to play put the visitors up by seven, their largest lead of the night.
Utah State didn't go away quietly, as sophomore forward
Karson Templin came up big with back-to-back buckets to cut the deficit back to two, first a 3-pointer, then a fastbreak layup. Trailing 71-69 with just 20 seconds remaining, the Aggies were forced to foul on the next two defensive possessions, but UC San Diego was able to secure the win with four made free throws late.
Turnovers proved costly for the Aggies, as they allowed 22 points off of 14 turnovers. Despite forcing 17 by UC San Diego, USU scored just 11 points off of those.
Templin had a career night to lead Utah State in the scoring column, going for 18 points, all 18 coming in the second half. He shot 5-of-7 from the floor, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 6-of-9 from the charity stripe, while also bringing down six rebounds and recording two steals.
Sophomore guard
Mason Falslev also came up big with the third double-double of his career, finishing the night with 16 points and 10 rebounds, along with five assists, three steals and a block. Albury totaled 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, to go along with two boards and two assists. The final Aggie in double-figures was fifth year guard
Ian Martinez who had 12 points.
Utah State's bench accounted for 37 of the team's 73 points.
In total, Utah State shot 40.0 percent (24-of-60) from the floor, 28.6 percent (8-of-28) from behind the 3-point arc and 70.8 percent (17-of-24) at the free throw line. UC San Diego finished the night shooting 45.8 percent (22-of-48) from the field, 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from 3-point range and 85.2 percent (23-of-27) from the free throw line.
UP NEXT
Utah State will now hit the road for three-straight, beginning on Sunday, Dec. 22, when the Aggies take on Saint Mary's in Moraga, California. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. (MT).
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FOLLOW
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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