Utah State Basketball Takes Down New Mexico Behind Terrorizing Defense
Feb 4, 2026, 11:24 PM
Utah State senior guard MJ Collins Jr. (Utah State Athletics, Triston Hartfiel)
(Utah State Athletics, Triston Hartfiel)
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – Utah State made a statement while handing New Mexico its first home loss of the season, dominating the second half of an 86-66 win.
The Aggies (19-3, 10-2 MW) traveled to the Land of Enchantment to match up with the Lobos (18-5, 9-3 MW) on Wednesday, February 4.
New Mexico and Utah State began the night tied for second in the Mountain West standings, half a game behind San Diego State and half a game in front of Grand Canyon.
A win for the people of Logan. #ShowMe | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/3gDaEWI6Md
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 5, 2026
Mason Falslev’s 19 points and four threes led USU. The Benson, Utah, native added four boards, three assists, and two steals in the win.
MJ Collins Jr. followed closely with 14 points. Star freshman Adlan Elamin notched another double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 35 minutes.
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First Half
A slow start saw both programs trade buckets as three Utah State turnovers continued the team’s recent giveaway woes, leading to a 5-5 tie at the first media timeout.
USU took a four-point lead into the under-12-minute timeout after knocking down three threes and five of its first nine shots.
MJ's too smooth with it#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/kayzNJi1Gg
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 5, 2026
The Aggies stayed hot on offense for most of the half.
USU hit six threes in the first 15 minutes while limiting the Lobos to only five attempts from deep.
EP for 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/CMcu8nP1nc
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 5, 2026
The Lobos’ defense keyed in late, storming back as the Aggies missed seven of eight shots.
👑👑👑#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/EjEITp3tU2
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 5, 2026
USU closed the half on a 5-0 run to lead 36-33 at the break. Sixth-man Kolby King scored a team-high eight points in 11 minutes.
Second Half
MJ Collins Jr. gave Utah State its largest lead of the night when he knocked down a midrange jumper for a 47-38 lead.
The lead ballooned to 13 minutes later, courtesy of four New Mexico turnovers. Add four Aggie offensive rebounds, and it was a recipe to pull away from the Lobos.
Right in front of the Aggie bench 💦#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/8SA1SRy7FK
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 5, 2026
A Mason Falslev to Karson Templin alley-oop silenced the normally frenzied Pit crowd midway through the half.
*cue the song*#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/IRSwdTyCIr
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 5, 2026
Foul trouble began to be a problem for Utah State with Templin, Garry Clark, and Elijah Perryman each picking up the fourth fouls with several minutes to play.
An earlier ankle injury to starting big Zach Keller left USU vulnerable on the front line.
HOW WE FEELING??#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/r1fWjTXqrB
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 5, 2026
It made no difference as Utah State pulled away for the 86-66 win.
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Utah State travels north to face the Wyoming Cowboys (13-10, 4-8 MW) on Saturday, February 7. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network. USU blew out the Cowboys by 32 points at home in late January.
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.
