USAFA, Colo. – Utah State men's basketball remained perfect in Mountain West play, improving to 4-0 in league play and 13-1 overall Tuesday night at Clune Arena, leading from start to finish in a 99-62 win over Air Force.
In what was the 37th all-time meeting between the Aggies and the Falcons, USU posted its highest-ever scoring outing against the cadets. Utah State shot an efficient 59 percent from the floor and 46 percent shooting from 3-point range while committing just seven turnovers in the win.
The Aggies wasted no time pouncing on the Falcons, as they opened the game on a 7-0 run and quickly extended that lead to 21-4 before the 12-minute mark of the first half. Utah State made 10 of its first 14 shots of the night, while the USU defense held Air Force to a 4-of-14 start from the floor.
The hosts responded, making seven of their final 12 shots to close out the first half including three triples during that span, narrowing Utah State's advantage to 45-31 at the break.
Soon after the half, the Aggies stretched their lead to 20-plus once again with a 9-0 run, sparked by four Utah State dunks in a three-minute span. The advantage continued to grow throughout the half as USU saw its shooting efficiency jump to 62 percent in the second half. While the Falcons were good for 31 points each half, the Aggies put up 54 points in the second half after scoring 45 in the first, leading by as many as 40 points.
USU's second-half efforts were bolstered by a 20-8 rebounding advantage, which led to 18 second-half points in the final 20 minutes alone. On the night, the Aggies out-rebounded Air Force 40-25, led by a team-best eight boards for junior guard Mason Falslev.
For the ninth time this season, it was senior guard MJ Collins Jr. who led Utah State's scoring efforts, one of five Aggies to score in double figures. Collins Jr. finished the night with 20 points, three rebounds and a steal, on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor.
The Aggie bench was responsible for 43 points, led by a 15-point performance for senior guard Kolby King, who rounded out his performance with three rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Along with his team-high eight rebounds, Falslev also scored 13 points with three assists and two steals on the night.
Rounding out the double-figure scorers for Utah State were freshman forward Adlan Elamin, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half, and junior guard Luke Kearney, who went for a season-best 10 points in eight minutes of action against his former squad.
Utah State led for 39:37, never trailing during the contest.
In total, Utah State shot 58.5 percent (38-of-65) from the floor, 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from 3-point range and 64.7 percent (11-of-17) at the charity stripe. Air Force shot 41.2 percent (21-of-51) from the field, 30.0 percent (6-of-20) from behind the arc and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) at the free throw line.
UP NEXT
Utah State will remain on the road this weekend as it travels to Boise, Idaho, to take on Boise State on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
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.
-USU-