Sam Merrill’s 24 Points Leads Utah State To Fourth Straight Win

FRESNO, Calif. – The Utah State Aggies won their fourth straight game with a 71-59 road victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Senior guard Sam Merrill led all scorers with 24 points along with 4 assists and 4 rebounds. He went 8-15 from the field and 3-6 from the three-point line. He moved up to No. 5 on the Mountain West Conference career scoring list. Justin Bean added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Diogo Brito chipped in 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench.

Utah State led the entire game except for 36 seconds when the game was tied. They limited Fresno State on the offensive end despite the Bulldogs making 12 three-pointers, they attempted 33 shots from the perimeter.

After a 21-8 lead to start the game, the Aggies outscored Fresno State 31-23 in the first half and 40-36 in the second half.

The win for the Aggies gave head coach Craig Smith his 200th career win.

FINAL | 🔵🔵

Aggies complete the season 🧹🧹 of Fresno State with a 71-59 win! @smerrill05 led the way with 2️⃣4️⃣.#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/gTMT0sKOFE

— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 16, 2020

As a team, Utah State shot 44 percent from the field, 41 percent from downtown and 10-14 from the free throw line.

Two players scored in double figures for Fresno State, led by Noah Blackwell with 13 points and a double-double from Nate Grimes with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Bulldogs converted 37 percent from the floor and 36 percent from beyond the arc.

The Aggies won the rebound battle 44-29.

Utah State improved their record to 21-7 overall and 10-5 in Mountain West Conference play. They will return to the Spectrum for two straight games beginning on Wednesday, February 19 against Wyoming. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN 3.