Utah State Crumbles In Second Half, Falls To Boise State
Feb 26, 2025, 10:49 PM | Updated: 10:50 pm
First-year Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun directs his team during a win over Charlotte. (USU Athletics, Journee Stewart)
(USU Athletics, Journee Stewart)
BOISE, Idaho- Utah State looked overwhelmed by Boise State’s second-half defense, leading to a disappointing 82-65 loss.
The Broncos (20-8, 12-4) hosted Utah State (24-5, 14-4) at ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho, on Wednesday, February 26.
Final from Boise:
Utah State – 65
Boise State – 82— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 27, 2025
Mason Falslev led USU with 19 points but was just 7-of-15 from the field. Drake Allen was unusually quiet, finishing with two points and two assists in 21 minutes on the floor.
First Half
Mason Falslev immediately showed he had forgotten about a rare off-shooting night against San Diego State and hit an early three.
Both offenses were in control through the first four minutes. Boise State made four of their first six shots to lead 10-9 at the first media timeout.
The Broncos moved the ball well, assisting on five of the first nine field goals. They opened the night, hitting their first four shots from deep.
Workin' the baseline pic.twitter.com/oZZui5O4nf
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 27, 2025
Aubin Gateretse used his size advantage in the post to score four early points. Fourteen of USU’s first 21 points came in the paint.
Utah State trailed 24-21 with eight minutes left.
Picking up where he left off! pic.twitter.com/T5UzxoMtJJ
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 27, 2025
After the hot start, Boise State returned to earth, missing eight of nine shots. The drought allowed the Aggies to take a 27-26 lead on Falslev’s second three.
The Broncos closed the half on an 11-4 run to lead 37-31 at the half. Both teams committed five giveaways in the first 20 minutes.
Falslev led a balanced Utah State with six points and three assists. Dexter Akanno trailed with five points and three rebounds, followed by four points from Gateretse and Deyton Albury.
Alvaro Cardenas led all scorers with eight points and five rebounds.
Second Half
Both programs traded buckets in the first four minutes. USU trailed 43-38 with 15:52 left.
Mason gets 𝘽𝙐𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙏𝙎 @mason_falslev pic.twitter.com/FYJqzclzLX
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 27, 2025
Boise State made six of nine shots to start the half, building an 11-point advantage.
In need of a spark, Falslev knocked down an important second-chance three to make it a 52-44 game. The Benson, Utah native carried USU with two threes and 12 second-half points in nine minutes.
Ian from downtown‼️ pic.twitter.com/SboDC7G9Y4
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 27, 2025
Dagenhart and Andrew Meadow combined for 16 points as the Broncos offense found a rhythm heading into the stretch.
Boise State opened up their largest lead, 66-52, as the Aggie offense sputtered.
The Aggies caught a break when Cardenas was whistled for his fourth foul with 5:32 left. Point guard foul trouble didn’t slow down the Broncos.
The Broncos pulled away for an 82-65 win.
Following Utah State With KSL Sports Zone
Utah State will travel to Fort Collins, Colorado, on Saturday, March 1, to face the Colorado State Rams. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. MT. The Aggies beat CSU 93-85 in Logan on February 11.
Listen to USU basketball games on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard on the call.
Find KSL Sports coverage of Utah State University Athletics 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 Twitter and Instagram at @bpreece24.
