Aggie Defense Takes Control In Blowing Out Air Force On Road
Jan 6, 2026, 9:00 PM | Updated: Jan 7, 2026, 9:53 am
Utah State basketball celebrates in the Shriners Children's Classic. (Photo courtesy USU Athletics)
(Photo courtesy USU Athletics)
LOGAN, Utah – It was all Utah State from the tap on Tuesday night as all 12 Aggie players scored in a 99-62 road win over Air Force.
The Aggies (13-1, 4-0 MW) took on the Air Force Falcons (3-12, 0-4 MW) at Clune Arena on Tuesday, January 6.
USU began the night tied with Nevada and San Diego State atop the Mountain West standings at 3-0. The Falcons are one of three winless teams in the conference.
𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄. 4⃣-0⃣. #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/CjcsVKUwN9
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 7, 2026
MJ Collins Jr. scored 20 points in only 24 minutes, throwing down several highlight dunks. Mason Falslev and Adlan Elamin each scored 13 points in a balanced attack.
Fellow transfer guard Kolby King came off the bench to drain four threes, finishing with 15 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Former Air Force forward Luke Kearney had his biggest day as an Aggie, ending the night with ten points as the Aggie bench outscored AFA 43-28.
USU made 12-of-26 shots as a team and finished the night shooting better than 58 percent from the floor.
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First Half
The Aggies jumped out to a quick lead courtesy of some opportunistic defense and hot shooting.
Mason Falsev’s tenacious hands created a turnover that led to MJ Collins Jr. knocking down the night’s first three for a 7-0 advantage.
The steal by Mason, the easy triple by MJ 😎#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/qxNQsJspVi
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 7, 2026
USU led 14-4 at the first media timeout.
True freshman guard Adlan Elamin hit his first three shots, including a three, helping Utah State gain a ten-point advantage.
Four-point play for the freshman 🔥#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/UzpiEMkoi4
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 7, 2026
Air Force went silent for more than six minutes, allowing USU to build a 17-point lead less than midway through the half.
AFA missed seven of its first ten shots and all four attempts from deep while turning the basketball over six times.
With the Falcons reeling, Utah State used impeccable ball movement to stay sharp offensively.
Kolby finds KT with a 𝒹𝒾𝓂𝑒#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/IEGn6dro6l
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 7, 2026
Air Force began making some headway, finding space on the offensive end to make four straight shots, cutting the gap to 12.
Falcon guard Lucas Hobin caught fire late, hitting 3-of-4 threes to keep his team within striking distance.
Aggies lead by 14 at the half. Aggies looked poised to run away and hide, but the pesky Falcons hanging in there. @kslsports pic.twitter.com/AwnziRMUgP
— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) January 7, 2026
Aggie sixth-man Garry Clark responded with three second-chance buckets. Utah State dominated points in the paint (26-14) and second-chance points (13-4) in the opening 20 minutes.
Elamin led all scorers with 11 points and three boards. MJ Collins closely trailed with nine points.
Second Half
Air Force went flat again, going scoreless for 3:52 before the first media timeout.
Collins Jr. helped his team generate momentum with a pair of high-flying dunks early in the half.
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The Aggie defense held the Falcons without a basket for 7:09 before AJ Patterson finally got a shot to fall.
Guard Elijah Perryman made his presence known while extending his defense beyond half-court. The true freshman knocked the ball loose, creating a fast break off the turnover.
Perryman took a pass from Kolby King, surveyed the floor, and drove into the paint before dumping off a bounce pass to Collins Jr., cutting baseline for a statement dunk.
GOODNESS 👀#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/nxaHRTtcq4
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 7, 2026
Utah State led 60-38 after the Falcons’ drought ended.
Collins Jr. crossed the 20-point threshold for the eighth time in 14 games when he drilled a three with 6:54 left.
Despite leading by 30 with several minutes to play, the Aggies’ defensive intensity never faded. Offensively, USU continued executing as it went deeper into Jerrod Calhoun’s bench.
RELATED: Utah State Rushes By San José State With Late Surge
He's hit a few of those in this gym… #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/ZGFMjfGUgY
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 7, 2026
Utah State finished the blowout 99-62.
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Utah State faces a big test when it takes on the Boise State Broncos (9-5, 1-2 MW) in a road battle on Saturday, December 10—the Aggies and Broncos tip off at 7 p.m. MT at ExtraMile Arena.
Find Utah State’s entire 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule here.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
