LARAMIE, Wyo. – Utah State men's basketball earned a hard-fought win on the road Saturday night at Arena-Auditorium, battling from start to finish in an 85-83 victory over Wyoming to improve to 20-3 on the season and 11-2 in Mountain West play.
The guard duo of junior Mason Falslev and senior MJ Collins Jr. accounted for 47 of the Aggies' 85 points, each going for 20-plus in the contest. Falslev scored a season-high 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor, 1-of-1 shooting from 3-point range and 6-of-6 shooting from deep, coming just one point shy of his career high. He also led the squad in rebounds with six and assists with five.
Collins Jr. posted his 11th 20-point night of the season, scoring 16 in the second half to finish the night with 20 points, along with a rebound and two assists. Half of his points came at the charity stripe where he was 10-of-14.
The Aggies shot efficiently, connecting on a season-best 64 percent (29-of-45) of their shots in the contest, but 11 3-pointers helped keep the Cowboys in contention throughout.
The first half featured eight lead changes with each side leading for around nine minutes of action. While the Aggies shot well, the Cowboys took advantage of seven offensive boards, scoring 10 second-chance points in the first 20 minutes. At the break, it was Utah State in front with a 39-35 lead.
Following the half, USU quickly extended its lead to nine points, but an 11-2 response by the hosts evened the game up at 44-apiece. While Wyoming held the Aggies at arms length, Utah State never trailed in the second half.
USU established its largest lead of the night, an 11-point advantage at 78-67, with 3:02 to play. From there, the Cowboys connected on five-straight shots from the field and made seven free throws in the final three minutes to stay alive.
Despite the push by Wyoming, Utah State never surrendered the lead. Leading by two after a trip to the free throw line with 13 seconds remaining, USU locked down on the defensive end to force the miss on a would-be game-tying layup at the buzzer.
In its best overall shooting night of the season, Utah State shot a remarkable 71.4 percent (15-of-21) in the second half.
Along with Falslev and Collins Jr., graduate guard Drake Allen also reached double-figures as he finished the contest with 10 points, along with five rebounds, four assists and a steal. He didn't miss a shot from the floor, going 3-of-3 overall including 2-of-2 from deep.
In total, Utah State shot 64.4 percent (29-of-45) from the floor, 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from 3-point range and 72.4 percent (21-of-29) at the charity stripe. Wyoming shot 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from the field, 39.3 percent (11-of-28) from behind the arc and 87.5 percent (14-of-16) at the free throw line.
UP NEXT
Utah State will now return to Logan for a three-game homestand at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 10, when the Aggies face Fresno State at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast locally on KMYU and streamed free on Mountain West 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.
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