No. 4 SDSU Stays Undefeated After Second Half Surge Over Utah State
Feb 1, 2020, 10:29 PM | Updated: Feb 3, 2020, 12:01 am
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – After a hard fought and well played first half, the Utah State Aggies couldn’t get the upset over San Diego State as the Aztecs pick up an 80-68 win.
The Aztecs were celebrating the career of alum Kawhi Leonard who had his No. 15 jersey retired at halftime of the game.
Utah State played very well in the first half after gaining momentum on a 14-0 run late in the half. They held a 39-31 lead at the halftime break.
San Diego State started strong in the second half after going on two different runs of over 10 points and holding Utah State scoreless. They were outscored 49-29 in the second half. The Aztecs were led by Matt Mitchell with 28 points.
Final | 🔵🔵
SDSU 80 – Utah State 68#AggiesAllTheWay
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 2, 2020
For the Aggies, Sam Merrill had a team-high 16 points, along with a tying his career-high of 12 assists. He shot 5-12 from the floor and 4-8 from the three point line. Brock Miller chipped in 13 points, Justin Bean added 13 points and 5 rebounds.
In the last minute of the game, star center Neemias Queta injured his left knee when a San Diego State player fell on his leg. Utah State shot 46 percent from the field, 9-21 from downtown for 43 percent and made 9-10 from the free throw line.
Helping Mitchell for the Aztecs was Malachi Flynn with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. K.J. Feagin added 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, while Yanni Wetzell notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
BEANNNNNN‼️#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/RG88YgTrAn
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 2, 2020
The Aztecs connected on 48 percent of their field goals, knocked down 14 of their 32 three-point attempts and converted on 16 of their 19 attempts at the foul line.
The only way that Utah State could play San Diego State again is in the Mountain West Conference tournament, where the Aggies beat the Aztecs last season to claim the conference tournament title.
"Oh boy."#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/PmsGGjKo0D
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 2, 2020
Utah State dropped their record to 17-7 overall and 6-5 in Mountain West play. They will return home on Wednesday, February 5 to face UNLV at the Spectrum. The game will begin at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
