Instant Takeaways After Utah State Basketball Trashes Tulane
Nov 21, 2025, 3:09 PM | Updated: 3:30 pm
CHARLESTON, South Carolina – An inconsistent first half on both ends turned into a double-digit win for Utah State after its defense downed Tulane in the final 20 minutes for a 96-75 win.
The Aggies outscored Tulane 56-35 in the second half, generating 14 points off of six turnovers.
Overall, USU forced 13 turnovers, led by four takeaways from Mason Falslev. Starting backcourt mate Drake Allen added three steals in his return from a one-game absence. Allen leads the Mountain West with 3.3 steals per game, followed by Falslev’s two takeaways per night in third.
RELATED: Utah State Basketball Blasts Tulane In Shriners Children’s Classic
That's the 𝗙𝗜𝗙𝗧𝗛 Aggie steal of the half #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/OVilUZusoz
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 21, 2025
The Aggies used the pressure to outscore the Green Wave 24-16 off giveaways and finished with a 22-6 fast-break points advantage. The offense did a tremendous job protecting the basketball, committing only ten turnovers, the second-fewest in a game this season.
USU is the far-and-away steals leader in the Mountain West, averaging 11.4 steals per game so far this season.
Tournament dubs >>#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/YnbzE1cov9
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 21, 2025
Overall, Utah State has the league’s best defense, holding opponents to 66 points per game and 38.8 percent shooting, both the best in the MW.
Add to that a plus-three turnover margin, and USU looks to be one of the most difficult nightly matchups conference-wide.
Three-point shooting inconsistency shows up again for USU
Jerrod Calhoun’s team played well overall in the first half, but the three-point shot proved to be a huge difference. Through 20 minutes, the Aggies missed seven of nine three-point attempts, while Tulane hit 7-of-17 (41.2 percent).
It wasn’t as though USU was getting bad looks at the rim; shots weren’t falling, as has been a problem at times in 2025.
Weber State stayed within striking distance earlier this season with the Aggies going 2-for-23 from beyond the arc in an 83-73 win. Three days later, USU made just 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from deep in a victory over UTEP.
Might wanna guard him…@kingkolby11 #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/rUJHY7m9GG
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 21, 2025
The shots started falling in the second half, turning a 40-40 halftime tie into a 21-point Aggie win.
USU made an unsustainable 10-of-14 threes in the final 20 minutes, meaning they’ll need to find some middle ground for any consistency.
Kolby King went 4-of-6, and six players made at least one triple in the half.
Even struggling Air Force transfer Luke Kearney got in on the fun, hitting the first shot of his young Aggie career. If Kearney can get on track in Calhoun’s system, he would give the program another above-average shooter after he knocked down 52 threes last season with the Falcons.
Mason Falslev gives Utah State a two-way wild card
Cache Valley native Mason Falslev put together his best game of the season on Friday afternoon, scoring a season-high 24 points while making 11 of 15 shots and recording four steals.
He was everywhere, playing a season-high 34 minutes, using his defensive tenacity to give Green Wave ball-handlers fits. Falslev’s terrific open-court ability showed up repeatedly as he turned defense into offense for himself and teammates.
His 11 field goals equaled a career-high, and it was the tenth 20-point game of his career.
2⃣2⃣ points in 2⃣2⃣ minutes for The Mayor#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/evEUDKvNsl
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 21, 2025
Only MJ Collins Jr. averages more playing time (29.2) than Falslev’s 27.2 minutes per game this season. No surprise, given his seemingly never-ending supply of energy.
He was the only Aggie to play more than 30 minutes a game last season, averaging 32.4 mpg. Even as a freshman, Falslev was fourth on the squad, playing more than 27 minutes a night.
Falslev is 12th in the MW and second on the team with 14.2 points per game, and second in rebounds with 5.4 per game.
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Utah State will play Steph Curry’s alma mater, the Davidson Wildcats, on Sunday, November 23. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. MT. The Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic is being broadcast on ESPN2.
Find Utah State’s entire 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule here.
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 X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
