Instant Takeaways From Utah State’s Delta Center Performance
Dec 13, 2025, 5:37 PM | Updated: Dec 15, 2025, 11:38 am
Utah State freshman Adlan Elamin throws down a dunk following a steal in the Salt Lake Slam against Illinois State on Saturday, December 13. (Courtesy Utah State Athletics)
(Courtesy Utah State Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah State Aggies withstood a second-half rally from Illinois State before pulling away for the 83-78 victory, snapping a seven-game win streak for the Redbirds.
The Aggies (9-1) faced the Illinois State Redbirds (8-3) in the Salt Lake Slam at Delta Center on Saturday, December 13.
Bringing a 𝘿𝙐𝘽 back to Logan‼️#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/DrwQfqxtom
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 14, 2025
MJ Collins led USU with 20 points, including four threes and three assists. Garry Clark came off the bench to tally 18 points and grab eight rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end.
Mason Falslev added 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, and had four of Utah State’s eight steals.
The Aggies forced 17 turnovers that led to 26 points.
First Half
Utah State came out fast, building a 13-6 lead when Garry Clark muscled in a second-chance layup after securing the offensive rebound.
Clark was a force on the glass, fighting for six offensive boards, leading to six second-chance points.
Garry's FIFTH offensive board and second bucket of the day 💪#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/d8WCVQSiF4
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 13, 2025
Illinois State made a run in the middle portion of the half. USU went cold from the field, allowing the Redbirds to grab a 22-19 lead with 8:07 left.
The Aggies responded by extending their defense to a 3/4 court pressure, giving the Redbirds’ offense fits.
Goodness, Kolby 😯#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/IOpQHuxB1r
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 13, 2025
Utah State used the adjustment to go on a 15-2 run, building a 34-24 lead.
The Aggies closed the half by holding Illinois State scoreless for more than three minutes before a last-second and-1 made the score 40-33 at the break.
Good defense makes for easy offense #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/OgVPcCJVUp
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 13, 2025
MJ Collins led his team with ten points on 4-of-7 shooting and a pair of threes. Utah transfer Zach Keller made his first start of the year, contributing seven points and four rebounds.
Second Half
Jerrod Calhoun’s bunch kept the pressure on at the beginning of the second half, leading to more Illinois State turnovers.
Utah State’s Mason Falslev and Garry Clark combined for 14 points in the first nine minutes of the half to help the Aggies maintain a double-digit advantage.
Two steals, a board boards and four points in just 15 seconds
The Mayor does it all 🔥#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/SmXhxUy9dX
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 13, 2025
The Redbirds refused to go away.
Illinois State cut the deficit to seven when Ty Pence scored five straight points to make it 68-63 Aggies with less than seven minutes to play.
Calhoun was whistled for a technical foul after a series of plays went against Utah State late in the half. Two Redbird free throws made the score 73-67 with four minutes left.
More than five minutes without a field goal for USU allowed the lead to get within one possession after an Illinois State three with 1:57 to play.
Drake Allen and Falslev hit back-to-back layups out of a timeout, raising the Aggie lead to seven with under a minute on the clock.
Tough buckets in the clutch!@mason_falslev #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/tjHOSe4xML
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 13, 2025
USU held on for the 83-78 win, improving to 9-1 this season.
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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.
