Last season’s Mountain West Champions, the Utah State University Aggies (USU) men’s basketball team, played their season opener and won by an astonishing 55 points. At the start of the game, it looked like this new season’s first game might be a test for the Aggies. However, Utah State blitzed Alcorn State with a 34-0 run in the first half at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. They held the Braves scoreless for over 12 minutes of game time to completely take control. Utah State never relented, ultimately coming away with a 101-46 victory. USU turned a two-point deficit against Alcorn State Braves into a thirty-point lead with five minutes remaining in the first half.
USU’s Astonishing 34 Unanswered Points
USU’s 34-0 run in the first half is the second-largest unanswered run in program history, trailing only a 37-0 burst against Idaho on Feb. 15, 2006. USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun attributed the team’s victory to the Aggie’s attention to detail and desire to win.
Senior center Aubin Gateretse led the Aggies with 24 points on a perfect 11-for-11 shooting. Gateretse’s 11 made field goals without a miss are the second-most in program history, trailing only Mike Santos’ 12-for-12 night against Idaho State on Jan. 12, 1978. Graduate senior guard Ian Martinez and sophomore wing Tucker Anderson added 12 points apiece, while junior center Isaac Johnson also broke into double digits with 11 points.
Rebound, Turnovers, and Dunks, Oh-My!
The Braves (0-2) struggled against the glass. Utah State nearly doubled the Braves’ rebounding, hauling in 52 boards to Alcorn State’s 27. Johnson led the way with seven rebounds, while Gateretse and freshman forward Isaac Davis pulled down six boards.
The Aggies also recorded 28 assists with only nine turnovers while holding the Braves to only seven assists while forcing 20 turnovers. As a result, USU held a 29-6 edge in fastbreak points and outscored Alcorn State in the paint, 50-16. Sophomore guard Mason Falslev and freshman guard Jordy Barnes tied for the team lead in assists with six helpers.
A History of High Points
The win was USU’s first 50-point win since a 101-48 win over South Dakota Mines last season and the first over a Division-I opponent since defeating Weber State, 89-34, on Nov. 8, 2019. It is also the Aggies’ first 100-point showing since winning 108-81 against the University of San Diego in December 2023. The 55-point margin is tied for the ninth-largest in school history.
Alcorn State battled the Aggies through the first media timeout to earn a 10-8 lead at the 15:36 mark. However, Utah State’s defense took over, forcing the Braves to go 0-for-15 from the field and forcing ten turnovers over the next 12 and a half minutes.
Layups and 3 Pointers
The run began with a 3-pointer from Anderson before the Aggies scored 10 straight points on layups or dunks. A pair of Martinez 3s preceded three consecutive dunks from Gateretse, Martinez, and sophomore forward Karson Templin. A second Templin dunk would later put the Aggies up by 30 in the first half to a 52-14 lead heading into the locker rooms.
The Aggies opened the second half on a 9-0 run, firmly removing any possibility of a miraculous comeback. Gateretse made his mark in the second half, shooting 6-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 from the FT line, including three straight buckets at the rim across one minute midway through the half. Utah State’s lead ballooned further, reaching its maximum margin of 57 points following a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Braden Housley in the final minute.
Percentages and What’s Coming
Utah State shot 51.4 percent from the field (37-for-72) and 38.7 percent from behind the 3-point line (12-for-31). USU also shot 83.3 percent from the FT line (15-for-18). The Aggies held Alcorn State to only 29.1 percent from the floor (16-for-55) and a 33.3 percent (7-for-21) mark from behind the arc.
Utah State will stay home and host Charlotte at the Spectrum on Saturday, Nov. 9, and tip-off is at 2 p.m., in the second of a four-game homestand to begin the season. The Charlotte 49ers record is (1-0) and they beat Presbyterian in their season opener, 88-79.
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