LOGAN, Utah — Four Aggies scored in double-digits to boost No. 22 Utah State men's basketball to a wire-to-wire victory over Air Force 72-60 on Friday night inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Senior guard Ian Martinez led USU with 21 points, six rebounds and an assist. Junior guard Josh Uduje put up 11 points, while graduate guard Darius Brown II and redshirt freshman guard Mason Falslev each scored 10.
USU garnered 11 steals leading to 17 points off of turnovers, while the Aggies outscored the Falcons 16-0 in fastbreak points. Martinez and Brown led Utah State in steals with three apiece. Junior wing Great Osobor tied his career high with four blocks.
Utah State (24-5, 12-4 Mountain West) started the scoring with a 4-0 surge in the first 37 seconds of the contest. Air Force (9-19, 2-14 MW) would cut the Aggies' lead to one point twice, trailing 9-8 after four minutes. USU extended its advantage to 16-8 on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes. After trading dunks and baskets, Utah State expanded its lead to 15 points with seven minutes left, 32-17, on another 8-0 run. The Falcons responded with a 9-2 sequence, trimming the Aggie lead to 36-28. USU entered the locker room up 43-30, outscoring Air Force 7-2 in the final four minutes before the break.
The Falcons began the second half with a 6-0 run over the opening three minutes to get USU's lead down to seven points, 43-36. Back-and-forth play kept Air Force within 11 points over the next five minutes as a triple from Falcon junior forward Beau Becker sliced the Utah State lead to 56-48 with 12 minutes left. The Aggies bounced back on an 11-0 run over the next five minutes with three fastbreak layups and five free throws. Air Force battled back with a 9-2 response, but it was too little, too late as Utah State sealed a 72-60 victory with three free throws in the final 37 seconds.
Utah State shot 53.2 percent (25-of-47) from the field, 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from 3-point range and 76.0 percent (19-of-25) at the free-throw line.
Air Force was paced by junior guard Ethan Taylor who logged 15 points, four rebounds and two assists. The Falcons shot 47.2 percent (25-of-53) from the field, 28.6 percent (6-of-21) behind the arc and 80.0 percent (4-of-5) at the charity stripe.
The Aggies next visit San José State on Wednesday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m. (MT). 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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