No. 15 USU Erases 19-Point Deficit In Win Over LSU

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – After trailing by 19 points at one point in the game, the Utah State Aggies used a large run in the second half to pick up an 80-78 win over LSU in the first game of the Jamaica Classic.

Trailing by one point with 57 seconds left, Sam Merrill drilled a three-pointer to take the lead and their defense held LSU scoreless to get the win. It took the Aggies to outscore the Tigers 50-34 in the second half to wipe away the lead. Utah State led for 1:36 in the game. LSU didn’t score in the final 2:21 of the game.

Merrill finished with 24 points, including 17 in the second half. Alphonso Anderson added 24 points, scoring 15 in the second half.

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK!!

Winning. Team!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/s4qBRI4ZFY

— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 23, 2019

Justin Bean notched a triple-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, along with 6 assists. Diogo Brito chipped in 12 points off the bench. Utah State shot just 34 percent from the field and 30 percent from downtown in the first half, while LSU made 51 percent of their shots from the field and went 9-of-18 from deep.

In the second half, the Aggies connected on 56 percent from the field and made 7-for-9 from beyond the arc. The Tigers struggled shooting the ball, making 42 percent of their field goals and 28 percent from the three-point line.

For LSU, Skylar Mays dropped 30 points on an impressive 10-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-for-6 from downtown.

Utah State improved to 6-0 on the season and will play the final game of the Jamaica Classic on Sunday against North Texas. Tip-off is at 4:30 p.m. and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.