Five Aggies Score In Double Figures, Utah State Conquer the SJSU Spartans
Jan 7, 2025, 11:21 PM | Updated: Jan 8, 2025, 11:05 am
SAN JOSE, California- The Utah State Aggies aimed to stack another win and get to 15-1 against the San Jose State Spartans, which would move them up in the record books as the team with the third-best start in program history. Heading into Tuesday’s matchup, only the 2008-09 team (24-1), and 2023-24 team (16-1) were ahead of the current squad.
It was a little close for comfort down the stretch for the Aggies, but some clutch defense and big shot-making in the final minutes helped Utah State outlast the San Jose State Spartans, making the Aggies the owners of the country’s best winning percentage at .937.
Road dubs >>> #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/9XTo5PWb3b
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 8, 2025
First Half
Both teams got off to a bit of a cold start where following the teams traded buckets to open the game, there were four sloppy possessions that consisted of three missed baskets and a turnover.
The Aggies set the tone down low early with an alley-oop pass and slam from Mason Falslev to Aubin Gateretse to make it 5-4. Utah State would go on to outscore San Jose State in the paint 46-20, gaining a huge 26-point advantage in the category.
Tucker Anderson also had a huge impact on this game, especially in the first half. Anderson started the contest 3-3 from three-point range, all of them coming in a three-and-a-half minute span during a 13-7 Utah State run. His contribution from beyond the arc helped the Aggies maintain control of the game in the first frame.
That's 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬-𝘵𝘰-𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 triples for King Tuck@TuckoA12 pic.twitter.com/to57fjQ1jq
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 8, 2025
As the Spartans made an attempt to comeback approaching the halftime break, Mason Falslev took matters into his own hands with a few big buckets in the closing minutes of the first half, including a putback and three-pointer on back-to-back opportunities to stretch the lead to eight. He even caught a lob from Ian Martinez, a rare occurrence for the 6’3 guard.
That's why they call him the Mayor 💪@mason_falslev pic.twitter.com/YQReUuiQgI
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 8, 2025
The Aggies led the Spartans at the intermission by a score of 45-36.
Second Half
Utah State received a wake-up call to open the second half as a motivated San Jose State squad forced two turnovers on the Aggies’ first two possessions of the half, allowing the Spartans to close the gap from nine to four within the first minute of action. The Aggies would bounce back, however, expanding the lead back to nine only minutes later.
But the fast start for the Spartans allowed them to keep their foot on the gas as the home team, who has lost so many close games this year already, stayed within an arm’s length of Utah State.
San Jose State pushed, but the lead stayed at two-possesions for the better part of the second half. Two of the Aggies’ playmakers connected on a fast break as Tucker Anderson passed Drake Allen open, leading to an and-1 opportunity that stretched the lead to seven.
What a feed, what a finish for the 𝐀𝐍𝐃-𝟏‼️@TuckoA12 ➡️ Drake Allen pic.twitter.com/5YrPgMpgCr
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 8, 2025
The Spartans relied on three-point shooting in the second half to stay in the game. They hit seven of them in the final 20 minutes, accounting for half their points, none bigger than Dovavan Yap Jr.’s at the 6:57 mark to put San Jose State within one and allowing Robert Vaihola to tie the game with a layup just 50 seconds later.
It was officially nervous time for Aggies’ fans as Utah State was tied heading into the final stretch of the contest, facing what could’ve possibly been their first road loss of the season, and a costly one coming in Quadrant 3.
But down the stretch, it was none other than the red-shirt sophomore and Cache Valley native Mason Falslev who carried the bulk of the weight in crunch time to put the game out of reach.
Immediately following the tie, Falslev hit a layup to regain the lead for the Aggies for the final time. Then, a few possessions later, he snagged the rebound after a miss from Ian Martinez and dribbled it back out to the three-point line, hoisting a shot that would make it a three-possession game with under four minutes remaining.
3⃣-for-3⃣ from deep for @mason_falslev 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dQ8hJpJjtw
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 8, 2025
While it was Mason Falslev who responded to the San Jose State run, Karson Templin was the one who put the final nail in the coffin with a made layup on one end and block on the other.
Utah State made enough of their free throws in the dying moments to close out the San Jose State Spartans 85-78, improving to an undefeated 5-0 in conference play.
Utah State Aggies On The Stat Sheet
No one member of the Aggies was overworked on Tuesday night with three different members of the squad scoring in double figures. Tucker Anderson, Mason Falslev, and Ian Martinez all eclipsed 30 minutes and were also the team’s top three scorers.
Falslev finished as Utah State’s leader on the offensive end with 17 points and a lethal 3-4 from downtown. He also stacked seven rebounds.
Karson Templin was extremely efficient off the bench, hitting four of his five shots for ten points. He also protected the rim with two blocks.
🏀 Highlights from @USUBasketball's 85-78 win over San José State pic.twitter.com/FlnGA1wCsC
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) January 8, 2025
It really was a story of playmaking in pressure moments for the Aggies, and they got it from a variety of players tonight. Whether it was Mason Falslev’s clutch buckets, Karson Templin securing the paint with seven rebounds and two blocks in the final five minutes, or Ian Martinez knocking down all but one of his free throws to keep the game out of reach, it took an all-around team effort from Utah State to get their 15th win, a real achievement for a group of guys who hadn’t played together before this year.
Up Next For The Utah State Aggies
The Aggies will go from playing the 207th team in the NET Rankings in the San Jose State Spartans to playing the 57th team in the NET Rankings in the Boise State Broncos, giving Utah State the opportunity to secure another quality Quadrant 2 win at home.
The Broncos were picked to finish first in the conference in the Mountain West Predicted Order of Finish. They received 18 more first-place votes than any other team, and will certainly be motivated to take down the dark-horse Utah State Aggies who currently sit atop the standings.
Boise State holds a respectable 12-4 record, but are only 2-3 in Quadrant 1/2 games and have also suffered a Quadrant 4 loss to Boston College.
Their quality wins are against a Saint Mary’s squad on a neutral floor, who Utah State also beat, and Clemson who made a run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament last year.
Boise State is 4-1 in conference play with their lone loss coming to San Diego State. While the Aggies are favored to win, it will be all hands on deck to hold off the Broncos.
The Utah State Aggies will take on the Boise State Broncos on Saturday, January 11, at 7:00 p.m. MT at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah. Catch the action on CBS Sports Network.
