Utah State Hangs On To Sweep San Diego State, Earn Quad One Win
Feb 22, 2025, 8:36 PM
Utah State guard Dexter Akanno admires a three against the San Diego State Aztecs in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, February 22. (USU Athletics, Keffrey, Stellway)
(USU Athletics, Keffrey, Stellway)
LOGAN, Utah – With leading scorers Ian Martinez and Mason Falslev struggling to get loose all night against a stingy Aztec defense, Dexter Akanno took over. The grad senior drilled seven threes on his way to a career and game-high 26 points in a 79-71 Utah State win over SDSU.
The Aggies (24-4, 14-3) hosted San Diego State (18-7, 11-5) on Saturday, February 22 in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
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Says here…𝐖𝐄 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐏𝐓 '𝐄𝐌#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/L6yEeCS7Xq
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 23, 2025
Deyton Albury added 18 points, hitting 12-of-13 free throws. Martinez recovered to knock down a trio of threes, finishing with 18 points. Falslev never found his shooting stroke but contributed nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
First Half
An Aggie team that has made its mark defensively forced an SDSU turnover on the game’s opening possession. With a frenzied Spectrum crowd behind them, Aubin Gateretse and Ian Martinez scored back-to-back buckets for Utah State.
From coast-to-Costa Rica 🇨🇷@IanJumaine pic.twitter.com/5FtSUb2v8T
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 23, 2025
San Diego State suffered an early loss when seven-footer Magoon Gwath had to be helped off the floor with an injury. Gwath’s loss loomed large, with the freshman averaging 8.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game.
The Aztecs missed their first five shots and did not make a field goal until more than five minutes in. Utah State couldn’t capitalize, missing four of five shots during the same stretch.
Dexter Akanno ball-faked two defenders out of their shoes, freeing himself for a top-of-the-key three that ignited the crowd. It was Akanno’s second three.
Offensive rebound & pump fake ⏩ THREE @USUBasketball pic.twitter.com/cajRdQ7vUN
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 23, 2025
USU led 13-4 with 11:28 left in the half. San Diego State started 1-of-10 from the field and 0-for-5 from deep.
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Both defenses took control in the middle portion of the half. Neither offense could gain an advantage.
Two more Akanno triples in just over a minute gave his team a nine-point lead.
𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙍𝘿 triple of the night for Akanno 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/w1smxa6w7R
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 23, 2025
With Akanno going off, Martinez matched his teammate with two threes of his own. Martinez’s second triple pushed the Aggies to an 11-1 run over the shellshocked Aztecs.
SDSU struggled to generate good looks, going more than three minutes without a field goal.
Contested three. No problem. Deep bucket for @USUBasketball pic.twitter.com/erV6i52x1S
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 23, 2025
A quick 5-0 run from San Diego State cut the deficit to 29-20 with 3:07 left.
Utah State’s defense limited the Aztecs to 8-of-23 (34.8 percent) shooting, allowing the team to grab a 33-26 halftime lead.
Akanno’s 12 points led all scorers, followed closely by eight from Martinez. Mason Falslev scored one point without a field goal but added five rebounds and an assist while flying around defensively.
Miles Byrd led the Aztecs with six points despite going 1-of-8 from the floor.
Second Half
San Diego State regrouped at the half and went on an 8-0 run to take their first lead at 34-33. The Aztecs then went more than three minutes without a bucket, allowing USU to go on their own 7-0 run.
Both teams went back and forth, hitting big shots and getting defensive stops in a tight battle.
lol yeah good luck stopping that @deyton242 pic.twitter.com/riewwJhiR7
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 23, 2025
The sixth and seventh threes from Akanno gave USU a 52-46 lead with 10:20 to play.
Moments later, Tucker Anderson nailed a corner three in transition, forcing a San Diego State timeout with Utah State leading 57-49.
7⃣ 3-pointers for 7⃣
That's right. SEVEN. pic.twitter.com/GnWdEKiWHo
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 23, 2025
Two paint buckets gave Akanno a career-high 26 points with more than seven minutes left. The former Oregon State Beaver opened the night 9-of-12 overall and 7-of-9 from deep.
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THIS IS A DEXTER AKANNO FAN PAGE‼️
He's up to 26 points tonight, a new career high pic.twitter.com/8qiDqoJAlF
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 23, 2025
The Aztecs stayed close, but Falslev’s first field goal came off an offensive rebound, giving Utah State a 63-57 lead with under six minutes to play.
As has been the case too often this season, the Aggie defense started showing cracks down the stretch. San Diego State hit seven straight shots to take a 67-65 lead into the final media timeout.
In desperate need of a spark, Martinez came off a screen to hit a three, bringing the Aggies within one.
IAN. MARTINEZ. pic.twitter.com/h9nrnJdNa8
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 23, 2025
SDSU lost another rotation player when BJ Davis fouled Martinez on a shot from deep. Davis left with 14 points, five rebounds, and four threes. The grad senior stepped to the line and calmly knocked down all three charity shots.
Utah State held on for the 79-71 win to remain second in the Mountain West.
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Utah State travels to the Gem State on Wednesday, February 26, to play the Boise State Broncos. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. MT. In mid-January, the Aggies needed a fortuitous bounce leading to an Ian Martinez four-point play to beat the Broncos 81-79 in Logan.
Listen to USU basketball games on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard on the call.
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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.
