Bovine Blog: 50/50 Plays Come Back To Bite No. 17 Utah State In San Diego

LOGAN, Utah – From the opening tip, San Diego State played with an edge and fight that the visiting No. 17 Utah State Aggies matched for a while before ultimately running out of gas against the Aztecs.

USU dropped its second Mountain West game of the season and tenth straight in San Diego, falling 81-67 against the 2023 national runner-up.

RELATED: Toughness Lead Aztecs To Upset Win Over No. 17 USU

“They got almost every 50/50 play,” head coach Danny Sprinkle said following the loss. “If you’re going to beat San Diego State, you have to come up with those.”

🏀 Highlights from @Aztec_MBB's 81-67 win against Utah State#AtThePeak l #MWMBB l #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/qFOhEwo4ov

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) February 3, 2024

The Aztecs improved to 16-0 when leading at halftime, turning a six-point halftime in missing seven of eight three-point attempts in the second half while knocking down five triples on the other end. While SDSU hit nine threes (45 percent), the Aggies connected on just 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from deep.

“They were hitting shots that they hadn’t hit in the past,” graduate senior point guard Darius Brown II said of the Aztecs offense. “A guy that doesn’t really hit threes started to hit threes tonight. Gave up too many offensive boards. I think that’s the game right there.”

SDSU finished with 12 offensive rebounds, resulting in 13 second-chance points to eight for the Aggies. They became the third team to outrebound USU this season, finishing with a 39-30 advantage on the boards.

RELATED: Is Great Osobor Making A Case For Mountain West POTY?

“It just comes down to focus,” Sprinkle said. “We’ve got to go get the ball. They’re not going to make it easy… We didn’t play as clean as we needed to play today.”

USU remains first in the Mountain West despite the loss.

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No. 17 Utah State (19-3, 7-2) hosts the Nevada Wolfpack (17-5, 4-4) on Tuesday, February 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. (MT). USU is 36-24 all-time against the Wolfpack but holds a commanding 24-6 advantage at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. These teams split the series last season, with each program winning on its home floor.

Listen to USU basketball games on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard on the call.

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