Courtesy of Utah State Athletics
LOGAN, Utah – No. 25 Utah State men’s basketball (16-1, 6-0 MW) remained perfect in league play in dramatic fashion, defeating Boise State 81-79 in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aggies overcame a double-digit deficit in the victory, culminating in a go-ahead 3-pointer with just seven seconds to play by fifth year guard Ian Martinez.
With just 9.3 seconds on the clock and facing a 79-77 deficit, Martinez curled off of a screen from sophomore forward Karson Templin, freeing him up at the right wing to catch and shoot behind the arc. After six bounces on the rim, the shot fell, with Martinez drawing a foul in the process.
At the charity stripe, Martinez completed the four-point play, leaving the Aggies to close things out on the defensive end with 7.3 seconds on the clock and a two-point lead. A 3-point heave at the buzzer by Boise State’s Alvaro Cardenas was too strong, deflecting off the back of the rim to seal the win for Utah State.
Martinez totaled a team-high 18 points, 10 of which came in the final five minutes of action.
Boise State led for nearly 28 minutes in the contest, after getting off to an extremely strong start. The Broncos made six of their first seven 3-pointers of the night and started 8-of-11 from the field. While the visitors cooled down eventually, they finished the night shooting 53 percent (27-of-51) from the floor and 54 percent (14-of-26) from 3-point range.
Despite trailing for the final 12 minutes of the first half, the Aggies held Boise State within two possessions until the break, going into the locker room with a 38-34 deficit.
Following half time, the next nine points belonged to the Broncos, who extended the lead to 13, their largest advantage of the night. Despite the deficit, the Aggies pushed back, whittling the lead away over the next 11 minutes before eventually taking a lead of their own with 6:44 remaining on a pair of made free throws by Templin. Graduate guard Dexter Akanno played a major role in erasing the deficit, scoring 10 points in four minutes during the 18-7 run by the Aggies.
While USU struggled from the free throw line late in the game, it made up for it from the field. The Aggies missed just a single shot in the final 12 minutes of action, going 11-of-12 from the floor during that stretch.
Five different Utah State players scored in double-figures, led by Martinez’ 18 points. He was followed by senior guard Deyton Albury, who went for 14, then 13 points from Allen, 12 from Akanno and 10 from sophomore guard Mason Falslev.
The Aggies finished the night shooting an extremely efficient 61.2 percent (30-of-49) from the field, while connecting on 52.4 percent (11-of-21) of their shots from deep. This was the second best shooting performance of the season from both spots for USU.
Utah State also capitalized on outstanding ball control, committing just a season-low six turnovers while recording 18 assists.
UP NEXT
Utah State will head back on the road next week for a single game in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the Aggies face UNLV on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. (MT) on CBS Sports Network.
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.
– USU –
