Utah State rolls past UC San Diego — but sees work ahead for Weber State
Nov 14, 2026, 6:46 PM
LOGAN – Ben Jacobson watched Utah State’s shots keep falling, his players keep moving and the first-half points keep piling up.
Even for the Aggies’ head coach, it was a performance that would be difficult to match.
“That was quite a half of basketball and really fun to be a part of,” Jacobson said.
Utah State buried 15 first-half threes and built a 73-34 halftime lead Friday, powering to a 120-82 win over UC San Diego at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Mason Falslev led the way with a career-high 33 points and matched his career best with 12 rebounds as the Aggies improved to 4-0.
Unreal. At the half. https://t.co/fdnEB5Li98
— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) November 14, 2026
Now comes another opportunity to build on that start. Utah State hosts Weber State on Wednesday, Nov. 18, in a 7 p.m. MT tip-off.
For all the attention Friday’s shooting numbers deserved, Jacobson and Falslev pointed to something less spectacular as the explanation: the work that happened before tipoff.
“Our guys are in the gym all the time,” Jacobson said. “That’s what happened in the first half is really a direct result of the amount of time that they put in during the course of the day.”
That work translated into an overwhelming start.
Falslev opened the scoring with a 3-pointer in the opening seconds, and Utah State then went on a 16-0 run to take a 22-5 lead before the first media timeout. The Aggies made 15-of-21 from beyond the arc in the first half and finished the game 21-of-38 from deep.
💦 𝐒𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐘 💦
The Aggies made 2️⃣1️⃣ 3-pointers in last nights victory over UC San Diego – tying a program record!
#ShowMe https://t.co/LZemg6QGhk
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 14, 2026
Jacobson saw a player determined to make his presence felt immediately.
“He’s one of those guys that certainly understands the moment,” Jacobson said of Falslev. “And sometimes that moment is the first shot of the game.”
Falslev finished 12-for-16 from the field, including 3-for-5 from deep, and added four assists. Solomon Callaghan scored 22 points, while Karson Templin had 16, Dallin Hall 15, Will Hornseth 12, and AJ Bates 10.
The individual numbers reflected an offense Falslev described as connected, unselfish, and enjoyable to play in.
“We’re just spacing it and moving it and having a lot of fun,” he said.
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Preparation meets confidence
Utah State’s success against UC San Diego’s matchup zone was another source of satisfaction for Jacobson.
The coach said the Aggies studied how the defense had changed the rhythm of the Tritons’ previous game against Fresno State. With only two days between games, Utah State needed its experienced guards and skilled frontcourt players to absorb the plan quickly.
“We spent a lot of time, you know, just talking about the best way to attack it,” Jacobson said. “And I give our guys a lot of credit because we’re on a relatively short prep with just two days in between.”
Falslev credited both the returning players’ familiarity with a matchup zone and their execution of Jacobson’s offensive plan.
💦 𝐒𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐘 💦
The Aggies made 2️⃣1️⃣ 3-pointers in last nights victory over UC San Diego – tying a program record!
#ShowMe https://t.co/LZemg6QGhk
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 14, 2026
“More of it was just doing what coach wanted us to do, executing the plays that he put in for that matchup zone,” Falslev said.
For Jacobson, the next step in the Aggies’ shooting development is not simply getting more repetitions. It is believing those repetitions will make a difference when the ball comes their way.
“You want to play fast, and you want to play free,” Jacobson said. “You gotta put in a lot of work. But then you have to believe that that work matters.”
Falslev offered a more colorful explanation of Callaghan’s shooting confidence: He sees it every morning.
“If you’re not on him, then good luck,” Falslev said. “Because I shoot with him every morning and it sucks to be me because I’m going against him. And if I miss one shot, I lose every drill. So he pushes me to be better.”
A personal motivation
Falslev also entered Friday’s game with a memory he wanted his teammates to understand.
Before tipoff, he reminded them that UC San Diego had won its previous visit to Logan. He also recalled the shoulder injury former teammate Drake Allen suffered in that game.
“I talked to the guys before, let them know that last time they came in here, they walked out with a win,” Falslev said. “And also Drake Allen had a pretty bad injury that game.”
Fun fact: we’ve literally never missed a 3-pointer before https://t.co/08gxwM8JPc
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 14, 2026
His message afterward was brief.
“So shout out to Drake,” Falslev said. “That was for him.”
That personal edge came with a performance that gave Utah State its fourth win by at least 30 points in as many games.
Building toward in-state battle vs. Weber State
The Aggies will try to carry their offensive confidence into Wednesday’s meeting with Weber State, which concludes their five-game homestand to open the season.
But neither Jacobson nor Falslev treated Friday’s result as evidence that Utah State is a finished product.
Jacobson identified pick-and-roll coverage, defensive activity and the ability to disrupt opposing ball handlers as areas that still need attention.
“We’ve got a lot of room for improvement in some key areas,” he said.
Falslev’s focus was on building habits that will hold up when the Aggies are no longer playing comfortably ahead. Wednesday offers another chance to strengthen those habits without losing the freedom and confidence that have fueled their offense.
“Be where your feet are, you know, be humble, be hungry, and don’t be satisfied with what we’ve done,” Falslev said.
For now, the Aggies have plenty to enjoy — and a clear idea of what still needs work.
“We got to clean up our defense and get better in that way,” Falslev said. “But I think whatever we want to do this year, we’re capable of doing as long as we do it together.”
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in the NFL, Locals in MLB, and the Utah State Aggies. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
Parts of this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team.
