Courtesy of Utah State Athletics
CITY – Utah State men’s basketball (5-0, 0-0 MW) earned its first win over a Big Ten foe in over a decade, defeating Iowa 77-69 Friday night inside of the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. This was USU’s first win over a Big Ten opponent since a win in Logan over USC in 2013.
For the second-straight game, the Aggies were propelled by a career performance from sophomore guard Mason Falslev, who recorded the first double-double of his career. Along with a career-high-tying 25 points, Falslev went for a career-high 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. He also had an efficient night shooting the ball, going 9-for-15 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from behind the 3-point arc and 4-for-4 at the charity stripe.
With the win, USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun became the fifth Aggie coach in program history to start his tenure in Logan 5-0. This is also the 24th time in program history that USU has opened a year with five-straight wins.
The Aggies got off to a strong start, connecting on four of their first five shots and opening up an early 11-6 lead, including a pair of makes from both Falslev and sophomore wing Tucker Anderson.
Despite struggling to find shooting rhythm in the first half, shooting just 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from the floor in the first 20 minutes, the Aggies posted a 24-19 rebounding advantage and limited the Hawkeyes to 44.1 percent (15-of-34) from the field and just 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from deep in the half. At the break, USU trailed 37-33. Eight of Falslev’s eventual 12 boards came in the first half of action.
The Aggies climbed back to even quickly in the second half, using four steals in the first four minutes out of the locker room to tie things up at 43-apiece by the first timeout of the half.
After a back-and-forth stretch between the sides, back-to-back buckets from Falslev sparked a quick Aggie run to give the team a 63-57 lead, its largest of the night with just under seven minutes to play. USU would remain in front the rest of the way, eventually stretching its lead to as many as nine points before earning the 77-69 win.
Utah State dominated the glass throughout, posting a 47-31 rebounding advantage, including 15 offensive boards and 32 defensive. Along with Falslev’s 12 rebounds, sophomore forward Karson Templin brought down eight of his one, just one shy of a career high. Those 15 offensive boards turned into 24 second-chance points for USU.
The Aggies finished the night shooting 46.2 percent (30-of-65) from the floor, 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from 3-point range and 62.5 percent (10-of-16) at the free throw line. Iowa shot 43.8 percent (28-of-64) from the field, 19.2 percent (5-of-26) from behind the arc and 50.0 percent (8-of-16) at the charity stripe.
Joining Falslev in double-figures in the scoring column were graduate guard Ian Martinez and Anderson, who went for 13 and 10 points, respectively. Martinez also came up with six assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block.
UP NEXT
Utah State will return home for a few days before traveling to Orlando, Florida, for the NIT Season Tip-Off at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. There, the Aggies will take on St. Bonaventure on Thursday, Nov. 28, at 3:30 p.m. (MT), on ESPN2. The team will then face either North Texas or Northern Iowa the following day.
SEASON TICKETS
Season ticket deposits for the 2024-25 season are available now. Save your seat today by clicking on the following link 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 –
