LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's basketball (24-5, 14-4 MW) saw a five-game winning streak over Boise State come to an end Wednesday night at ExtraMile Arena, falling to the Broncos in an 82-65 road battle.
Second chances plagued Utah State early on, as it allowed eight offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes. The Aggies trailed for the majority of the first half, seeing the deficit grow to as many as eight points, but an 11-2 run gave USU the lead with six minutes to play, the team's first lead in 12 minutes of action.
The Broncos responded in turn, scoring eight of the final 10 points in the half, all on layups, to take a 37-31 advantage at the break.
The hosts slowly built on their halftime lead following the break, establishing their first double-digit advantage at the 12:37 mark. A 7-3 Aggie run was countered by an 11-4 run by the Broncos, who continued to extend the deficit to as many as 21 points. Boise State out-scored USU 45-34 in the second half, limiting the Aggies to just 40 percent shooting in the frame.
Highlighting the night for Utah State was the performance of sophomore guard
Mason Falslev, who scored a team-best 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from deep, to go along with three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Other double-figure scorers for the Aggies included senior guard
Deyton Albury, who went for 11 points, and fifth year guard
Ian Martinez, who finished with 10. Leading the Aggies on the glass was senior forward
Aubin Gateretse, who brought down a game-high seven rebounds.
This was just the fifth time all season the Aggies had more turnovers than assists, as they finished the night with nine helpers and 11 giveaways. Boise State capitalized, scoring 16 points off those turnovers. Defensively, USU only had two steals, the third fewest of the season.
Utah State finished the game shooting 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the floor, 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from behind the 3-point arc and 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the free throw line. Boise State shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the field, including 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from 3-point range and 66.7 percent (14-of-21) at the charity stripe.
UP NEXT
Utah State will now play its regular season road finale later this week, traveling to Fort Collins, Colorado, to take on Colorado State on Sunday, March 1. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on FS1.
SEASON 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.
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