LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's basketball (19-2, 9-1 MW) returned to the top of the Mountain West standings Wednesday evening inside of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, using a 76-71 win over UNLV to improve to 9-1 in league play.
The Aggies used five double-figure scorers and a 37-4 advantage in bench points to avenge an earlier road loss to the Rebels. Senior guard
Deyton Albury led the way for Utah State, scoring 16 points in 21 minutes of action, including 11 points in the second half. Albury shot an efficient 6-of-9 from the floor, while also totaling five rebounds, two assists and a team-best three steals.
The graduate guard duo of
Drake Allen and
Dexter Akanno each provided a major spark off the bench, going for 15 points and 11 points, respectively, and combining for 8-of-13 shooting from the floor with 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc.
USU led for almost 38 minutes of action, getting off to a hot start and going up by as many as 16 points in the first half. Six of the first 10 3-pointers of the night went down for the Aggies to help build an early 23-7 advantage. UNLV responded with six-straight points and was able to whittle the Aggie lead back to single digits before the half.
Heading into the locker room, Utah State led 33-24 after holding the Rebels to just 35.6 percent (9-of-26) shooting in the first 20 minutes and posting a 22-13 advantage on the glass.
In the second half, UNLV continued to slowly pick away. A 12-1 run by the visitors eliminated the Aggie lead with six minutes remaining, evening things at 56-apiece, but USU punched back with a 13-3 run to stretch the advantage back to 10. The final seven points of the night for USU came at the charity stripe, as the Aggies held off the final push from the Rebels.
Along with Albury, Allen and Akanno, other double-digit scorers for Utah State included sophomore guard
Mason Falslev, who went for 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and fifth year guard
Ian Martinez, who finished with 10 points, five boards, two assists and a steal.
The Aggies outscored the Rebels in fast break points 11-0, and posted a 34-32 advantage on the glass.
With the win, Utah State is now tied atop the league standings with New Mexico at 9-1, setting up a battle for the outright conference lead when the sides face off on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Utah State finished the game shooting 48.0 percent (24-of-50) from the floor, 36.0 percent (9-of-25) from behind the 3-point arc and 61.3 percent (19-of-31) from the free throw line. UNLV shot 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the field, including 20.0 percent (4-of-20) from 3-point range and 82.6 percent (19-of-23) at the charity stripe.
UP NEXT
Utah State remains at home this weekend to host New Mexico on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. on FS1.
TICKETS
There are a limited number of tickets available for all remaining home games. To purchase visit utahstateaggies.com/tickets.
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.
- USU -