LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's basketball (0-0, 0-0 MW) took the court for the first time of the 2025-26 season Saturday afternoon at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, posting an 88-76 exhibition win over Seattle.
All 15 Aggie players saw time in the game, with five players scoring in double-figures and 10 players scoring five or more points. Utah State was paced by a 15-point performance from senior guard MJ Collins Jr., who got there on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-3 shooting from 3-point range and 3-of-4 shooting at the charity stripe. Collins also tacked on a board, two assists and three steals.
Utah State took advantage of strong shooting, connecting on 55.2 percent (32-of-58) of its shots from the floor and 42.1 percent (9-of-19) shooting from behind the 3-point arc. 22 of the team's 32 shots were assisted on, with graduate guard Drake Allen dishing out a team-best six assists.
The Aggies took control early in the contest, using a 17-2 run to take a 25-11 advantage at the under-12 media timeout, sparked by seven points by Collins Jr. during that span. USU went on to connect on 20 of its 31 first-half shots to take a 49-41 advantage into the halftime break.
Seattle pushed back in the second half, opening the period on a 10-3 run to pull within a point, but Utah State never relinquished the lead. From that point on, USU out-scored the Redhawks 36-25 to secure the win.
USU showcased its depth as 42 of its 88 points came from the bench. Senior guard Kolby King and junior forward Karson Templin were the squad's top scoring reserves, each finishing with 11 points. Templin added on six rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes of action.
The Aggies were also able to take advantage in the paint, out-scoring the Redhawks 46-34 down low.
Along with Collins Jr., Templin and King, junior wing Tucker Anderson and junior guard Mason Falslev also reached double-figures in the scoring column, going for 11 points and 10 points, respectively.
Utah State posted a 34-31 advantage on the glass, led by Templin's team-best six rebounds.
Pacing Seattle's scoring efforts was Will Heimbrodt, who finished the day with 23 points.
UP NEXT
Utah State will play its second and final exhibition of the year next week as the team travels to San Francisco, California, to face San Francisco on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. (MT).
TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025-26 men's basketball season have sold out. Purchase single game tickets for available remaining games here. A waitlist for 2026-27 season tickets is now available. Fans interested can join the online waitlist here.
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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