Merrill’s 28 Points Lift Utah State Past Montana State In Season Opener
Nov 5, 2019, 10:51 PM | Updated: 11:45 pm
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State star Sam Merrill scored 28 points to lift the No. 17 Aggies past Montana State, 81-73.
It wasn’t pretty throughout the game, but the Aggies were able to get it done. Brock Miller drilled a three-pointer in the corner in the final minute to give Utah State a six-point lead and seal the victory.
The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year played in 38 minutes and added 5 rebounds and 3 assists, shooting 5-of-14 from the field and 17-for-18 from the free throw line. Alphonso Anderson and Justin Bean each added 13 points. As a team, Utah State shot 37 percent from the field, 33 percent from downtown and 77 percent from the charity stripe.
The Aggies held a 37-34 lead at the half before outscoring the Bobcats 44-39 in the second half to get the win.
1-0 ✅#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/qRi8MDWinX
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 6, 2019
Montana State had 34 points from Harald Frey, who shot 10-of-20 from the field, 6-for-10 from beyond the arc and a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line.
The Aggies had to play without their young big man Neemias Queta, who will miss some time after suffering an injury with Portugal in their summer tournament.
Utah State improved to 1-0 on the season and will return to action on Friday against Weber State. The game will tipoff at 7 p.m.
