Merrill Makes History In Aggies Big Win Over Air Force

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State guard Sam Merrill joined a small group of Aggie legends on Tuesday night in their 72-47 win over the Air Force Falcons.

Late in the second half, Merrill became just the 4th Utah State player to score over 1,900 points in their career. He finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists on Tuesday night.

Merrill joins Wayne Estes, Greg Grant and Jaycee Carroll on that list. He has 1,901 points in his career and is only 101 points away from passing Estes for third all-time in Aggies history.

The Aggies looked like themselves again tonight in a 72-47 win over Air Force in the Spectrum. We will see if this is a spark that starts a run of wins that can get this team back on the NCAA Tourney bubble. #AggiesAllTheWay https://t.co/mswkFuB8kZ pic.twitter.com/JP4FzdHuoQ

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) January 22, 2020

Utah State struggled offensively in the first half shooting the basketball but finished the first half with a 32-21 lead. They got off to a strong start in the second half with a 9-0 run. The Aggies went on to outscore Air Force 40-26 in the second half to pick up their 15th win and the revenge from the first meeting this season in Colorado Springs when the Falcons gathered a 79-60 win.

Justin Bean notched another double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, along with 5 assists and 2 steals. Neemias Queta finished with 14 points, with 10 coming in the first half. Diogo Brito added 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

As a team, Utah State shot 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc. They out-rebounded Air Force 45-34.

The Falcons converted just 29 percent of their shots, including 3-19 for 15 percent from the three point line.

Utah State improved their record to 15-6 overall and 4-4 in Mountain West Conference play. They will return to the Spectrum on Saturday to host Colorado State at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.