LOGAN, Utah – It took an extra five minutes to secure the victory, but Utah State men's basketball came out with an overtime win to remain perfect, improving to 7-0 with an 84-81 defeat of Montana State Saturday afternoon at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Senior guard MJ Collins Jr. led the Aggies in scoring with his third-straight 20-plus point performance, going for 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range and 7-of-8 shooting at the free throw line. He also tallied four rebounds and an assist with two steals.
Junior guard Mason Falslev also put together a strong performance in the win, filling the stat sheet with 17 points to go along with a team-high-tying eight boards, two assists, five steals and two blocks.
The Aggies led for over 36 minutes of action, though the majority of the contest was spent within two possessions as the Bobcats kept within arm's reach, never trailing by more than eight points. Utah State started strong with seven of the game's first nine points, but Montana State pushed right back with a 10-0 run to open up a five-point lead, which would be its largest of the contest.
The Bobcats controlled the glass in the first half, pulling down 10 offensive boards and out-rebounding the Aggies 24-15 in the first 20 minutes. Following the halftime break, Utah State adjusted and pulled down 22 boards to the Bobcats' 19, limiting Montana State to just four offensive boards in the final 25 minutes.
Junior forward Karson Templin played a large role for Utah State both on the glass and the scoring column, as he pulled down a team-high-tying eight rebounds, including six after the halftime break, along with 15 points, one shy of a season high.
Late in regulation, after a back-and-forth second half, USU started to pull away with a six-point lead at 67-61 with two minutes remaining, but a quick 8-0 run by the visitors erased the lead and put the Aggies at a two-point deficit with 53 seconds remaining. Utah State then got a much-needed defensive stop as Falslev knocked the ball off a Bobcat player and out of bounds for a steal with 19 seconds to play, but a go-ahead dunk by Templin following a heave to the rim was just a fraction of a second late, sending the game to overtime at 69-69.
In what was the first overtime period of head coach Jerrod Calhoun's tenure at Utah State, the Aggies came together when it mattered most, going a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line during the final five minutes. The sides combined for just four made shots in the first four minutes of overtime, but the Aggies were able to secure the win at the charity stripe, as four different players had perfect two-shot trips to the line.
Along with Collins Jr., Falslev and Templin, senior guard Kolby King also reached double-figures for USU as he finished with 11 points, six boards and two steals.
Utah State recorded 17 assists on 29 made baskets, led by a team-best and season-high nine assists by graduate guard Drake Allen. Allen also tallied three steals, his sixth multi-steal performance in as many games this year.
In total, Utah State shot 46.8 percent (29-of-62) from the floor, 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from 3-point range and 69.2 percent (18-of-26) at the charity stripe. Montana State shot 39.1 percent (27-of-69) from the field, 30.6 percent (11-of-36) from behind the arc and 88.9 percent (16-of-18) at the free throw line.
UP NEXT
Utah State will return to the East Coast for a pair of games next week, beginning on Thursday, Dec. 4, when the Aggies face South Florida at 5 p.m. (MT) in Tampa, Florida. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025-26 men's basketball season have sold out. Fans can purchase single game tickets for available remaining games here. A waitlist for 2026-27 season tickets is now available 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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