FORT COLLINS, Colorado — Utah State men's basketball fell to Colorado State 75-55 inside Moby Arena on Saturday afternoon. Despite the loss, Utah State remains in first place in the Mountain West, tied with San Diego State.
Junior wing Great Osobor collected his 12th double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Ian Martinez logged 14 points and five rebounds, while sophomore guard Javon Jackson provided a spark off the bench with a career high 10 points, including two made 3-pointers.
After a 9-2 run by Colorado State (20-6, 8-5 MW) to start the contest, USU (21-5, 9-4 MW) pulled within one point, 11-10, after an and-one layup and free throw from Osobor five minutes into the game. The Rams built a double-digit lead over the next eight minutes, leading 32-16 with six minutes left in the first half. The Aggies would cut the lead down to 12 twice before halftime but went to the locker room with a 17-point deficit, 43-26.
CSU started the second half with a 3-pointer to give the Rams a 20-point lead 46-26. Utah State responded with a six-point surge over the next three minutes to cut the CSU lead to 46-32. After a 6-2 response from Colorado State, the Aggies launched a 7-0 run to cut the advantage down to 11, 52-41, off a triple from junior guard Josh Uduje, a layup by Osobor and two free throws from Martinez. The Rams answered with a 6-0 run to keep USU at arm's length, 58-41, midway through the half. CSU remained in control the final 10 minutes, never leading by less than 14 points, on its way to a 75-55 victory.
Utah State shot 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the field, 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from deep and 50.0 percent (7-of-14) at the free-throw line.
Graduate guard Isaiah Stevens led the Rams with 18 points and eight assists. Colorado State shot 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the field, 17.4 percent (4-of-23) from downtown and 78.9 percent (15-of-19) at the charity stripe.
Colorado State also outrebounded Utah State by 13 (45-32), including a 14-8 advantage on the offensive end, and scored 48 points in the paint as compared to 26 for USU.
The Aggies return home to host San Diego State on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. The game will be nationally broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 men's basketball season are 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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