Dancing Days Over As Utah State Falls To Top-Seeded Purdue Boilermakers
Mar 24, 2024, 2:56 PM | Updated: Mar 25, 2024, 1:34 pm
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – A memorable season came to a crashing end when the Purdue Boilermakers blew out Utah State 106-67 in Indianapolis.
Eight-seed Utah State (28-7) faced Midwest Region top-seed Purdue in the 2024 NCAA Tournament round of 32 on Sunday, March 24.
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Utah State's season comes to an end in the Round of 32.
FINAL@USUBasketball 67@BoilerBall 106#AggiesAllTheWay #MarchMadness
📷: Getty Images pic.twitter.com/K5zux2dhC4— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 24, 2024
Great Osobor led the Aggies with 14 points and six rebounds, as five players scored in double figures. Darius Brown II ended his collegiate career with 12 points and four assists. Josh Uduje scored 13 points off the bench, Ian Martinez added 11, and Mason Falslev finished with 10.
Zach Edey scored 23 points and 14 rebounds, playing only eight second-half minutes in the blowout. Trey Kaufmann-Renn scored 18 points and eight rebounds.
First Half
Great Osobor got loose for an early dunk as both teams battled in the opening minutes. The Aggies took a brief lead, but a 6-0 Purdue run gave the Boilermakers an 8-6 lead at the first timeout.
RELATED: Utah State Aggies & The Improbable Journey To Indianapolis
Back-to-back triples for Ian Martinez 🔥#MarchMadness @USUBasketball pic.twitter.com/ODMgfYbW9l
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2024
Ian Martinez picked up where he left off in the first round, hitting a pair of threes as Utah State tried to contain Zach Edey on the defensive end.
Good game going midway through the first half.@USUBasketball 17@BoilerBall 15
11:14 1H#AggiesAllTheWay #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/6EPFB9lYq4
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 24, 2024
In a back-and-forth game, Josh Uduje came off the bench to hit consecutive threes. At one point, the Aggies made five of seven shots but couldn’t put any distance between themselves and the Boilermakers.
Leading 24-23, USU went cold. The Aggies were scoreless for over six minutes, allowing Purdue to go on a 15-0 run.
The Boilermakers close the first half on a 26-9 run.
HALFTIME@USUBasketball 33@BoilerBall 49#AggiesAllTheWay #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/bhAuLzciig
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 24, 2024
The Boilermakers closed the half on a 26-9 run to take a 49-33 halftime lead. Martinez made 4-6 shots for 11 points. Osobor added eight points and four rebounds, while Uduje hit two threes for seven points. Edey had a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double in 19 minutes.
Second Half
The Boilermakers didn’t cool off during the break, busting the game wide open when they scored the first seven points of the half to take a 56-33 lead.
Utah State fell behind by 30 with less than 13 minutes to play as Purdue executed to near perfection on both ends.
Less than 10 minutes left to play in Indianapolis.@USUBasketball 48@BoilerBall 79
9:42 2Hpic.twitter.com/Fauy88hRnn
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 24, 2024
USU never made a run in the second half, falling 106-67.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies, Locals in MLB, and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees, Beehive baseball, and Aggie athletics coverage here.
