USU put up some serious numbers in their last three games as they scored over 100 points in each of their games. Facing Alcorn State, they put up 101, Charlotte got 103, and then Westminster a huge 117. Now the Aggies have met and conquered Montana, coming away five short of 100, coming away with 95 while allowing the Grizzlies 83.
Despite not hitting the triple-digit marker, the Aggies kept their perfect start to the season intact. Utah State survived several dry spells, one in each half, Monday night in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. They notched a fourth straight win tHanks to Mason Falslev Ian Martinez, who posted career-high numbers.
USU Guards Tear Down Grizzlies Defense
Guards Martinez and Falslev’s career nights helped keep the Aggies (4-0) undefeated on the season. Martinez finished with a career-high 32 points and set a school record for consecutive free throws in a game, going 16-of-16 from the line. The old record was held by Jaycee Carroll, who went 15-of-15 in 2007.
Falslev fouled out just before the end of the game, exciting after matching his career-high of 25 points. He also had a career-high five steals. USU used a new starting lineup Monday, with Karson Templin making the first career start for the Aggies. The forward responded with 12 points and a career-high nine rebounds.
Not Everything Went Smoothly
USU used 10 players, nine of whom scored Monday night. Center Aubin Gateretse did not dress for the game Monday, sitting out with a concussion that he suffered in practice. Isaac Johnson returned but is dealing with a knee and hip issue. The center did not start but played for 17 minutes and scored eight points, as did guard Dexter Akanno, who made his second start at USU.
USU shot 50% from the field, marking the fourth straight game the Aggies have made at least half of their shots. Montana shot 51.6% from the field, a season-high for a USU opponent. Money Williams led the Grizzlies (2-3) with 25 points. Joe Pridgen netted 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Jensen Bradtke saw his first action of the season off the bench and finished with 17 points.
Hit the Ground Running
In the early start, the Aggies faced their biggest deficit of the season as the Grizzlies jumped out to a 9-5 lead at the first media timeout. Montana had blocked four shots in the first four minutes. USU put together its first run of the night, scoring eight straight points as Martinez scored in the paint, then Falslev and Johnson each drilled 3-point shots to give the hosts their first lead of the game with 14:30 left in the first half.
The Grizzlies responded by scoring five straight points to get back in front. However, the Aggies didn’t flinch. USU answered with a 9-0 run to get in front for good. Templin scored on a rebound bucket, and Martinez drained a trey to highlight the surge, as the Aggies took a 22-14 lead with 10:48 before halftime.
Breathing Room
An 8-0 run gave USU its largest lead of the first half, 35-20, at 6:36. Martinez hit a long-range shot and was fouled behind the arc on another possession, sinking all three foul shots. The Grizzlies were able to claw back within 38-30 as the Aggies went nearly four minutes between field goals.
Then Falslev took over. He scored eight of USU’s 10 points to end the half, including a steal and coast-to-coast drive to the bucket for two. The Aggies took a 49-35 lead into the break. Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field and exactly 50% from 3-point range in the first half. The big difference over the first 20 minutes was getting to the free-throw line. The Aggies made 12 of 17, while the Grizzlies were 0-of-1 from the arc.
Foul Ups
A technical bt DeCuire early in the second half seemed to spark the Grizzlies. After Martinez sank both free throws because of the T, Montana scored 12 unanswered points as four different Grizzlies scored. A bucket by Brandon Whitney pulled the visitors within 2, 52-50, with 15:59 to play. Falslev hit a 3-pointer to end the scoring drought for the Aggies.
USU earned some breathing room as Drake Allen had three straight assists, and Falslev came up with another steal for a bucket to give the hosts a 68-59 lead with 10:52 left in the game. The Grizzlies kept it close for most of the second half. With eight minutes left in the contest, the Aggies were able to build their lead back to double digits. USU matched its largest lead of 15 several times late in the game.
We Are In Kansas Toto
For the first time this season, the Aggies will not play a game at home. They head to Kansas City to take on Iowa in a neutral-site game on Friday. The Hawkeyes (4-0) host Rider on Tuesday before heading to Kansas City. The game on Friday will tip off at 6 p.m.
