Utah State Defense Kennels Bulldogs In Aggie Win
Feb 7, 2025, 10:09 PM | Updated: Feb 8, 2025, 5:38 pm
FRESNO, California – Despite some warts, the Utah State Aggies proved to be the better team in an 89-81 win over Fresno State. 30 Ian Martinez points paced the Aggies to their second win of the year over the Bulldogs.
Utah State (21-3, 11-2) faced the Fresno State Bulldogs (5-19, 1-12) at the Save Mart Center on Friday, February 7.
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Returning to Logan with another 𝗗𝗨𝗕‼️#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/L5EeiHL34d
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 8, 2025
Joining Martinez in double-figures were Mason Falslev (16) and Drake Allen (10).
Jalen Weaver dropped 20 for Fresno State in the loss.
First Half
Utah State opened with a 6-1 run, looking to pressure the struggling Bulldogs into submission.
The first points of the night belong to @Aubinoooo! pic.twitter.com/KvJ8nEfqKa
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 8, 2025
Fresno State answered with five straight to even the game at six, three minutes in.
An immediate 8-0 run helped USU take a 14-6 lead into the first timeout. The Bulldogs went more than two and a half minutes without a point during the run.
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Ian Martinez hit two early threes, scoring eight in the opening minutes as he looked to escape a recent shooting slump.
Ian Martinez, corner pocket 🎱@IanJumaine pic.twitter.com/sdwod3bRDY
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 8, 2025
Deyton Albury showed off his athleticism with two buckets, including a fast-break layup where he went right at the Bulldog defense.
The lead grew to 29-19 at the under eight-minute timeout.
𝒞𝑜𝒶𝓈𝓉-to-𝒞𝑜𝒶𝓈𝓉 🇧🇸@deyton242 pic.twitter.com/2rUKOesLJ9
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 8, 2025
Both teams committed eight turnovers in the first 16 minutes, but the Aggies converted that into 10 points, compared to just six from Fresno.
Twelve points from Martinez and Jalen Weaver led all scorers with 3:47 left. USU led 39-26.
The third triple from Martinez, followed by an alley-oop dunk from Aubin Gateretse, gave Utah State a 19-point advantage with less than a minute left in the half.
Aubin-𝗢𝗢𝗣
Drake Allen ➡️ @Aubinoooo pic.twitter.com/fSrL6FzOa3
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 8, 2025
The Aggies led 50-31 at the break. Utah State shot 61 percent (20-of-33) while limiting the Bulldogs to 40 percent (10-of-25). USU scored 26 paint points compared to 10 from Fresno State.
Martinez (15) and Falslev (11) paced the Aggies in points. Falslev added five assists, with Martinez grabbing four rebounds.
Second Half
Fresno State opened with a three, cutting the deficit to 16.
An 8-2 Utah State run, boosted with a Drake Allen steal-to-dunk, bumped the lead back to 20 with 15:54 left.
Third steal of the night for Drake Allen 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Zq4zoZ4RlN
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 8, 2025
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USU’s zone defense caused fits for the Bulldog’s offense as they struggled to create angles for entry passes, instead opting to pass the ball around the perimeter until late in the shot clock.
As part of the high-scoring Aggie bench, Isaac Johnson came off on a screen on an out-of-bounds play to throw down a two-handed hammer. Johnson’s dunk gave his team an 18-point lead with 10:15 left.
BIG FLUSH BY FISH X2 🐟🐟@Isaac_Johnson33 pic.twitter.com/ji3mMNEOtY
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 8, 2025
Fresno State made a late push, cutting the deficit to 11 with an 11-2 run.
Leading by 16, Martinez showed off his athleticism with a coast-to-coast drive. When Fresno’s defense didn’t stop ball, the former Utah and Maryland guard elevated to throw down a vicious tow-handed tomahawk.
IAN MARTINEZ OH MY 😱😱@IanJumaine pic.twitter.com/jQb7F5vaOv
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 8, 2025
Utah State’s free-throw struggles allowed the Bulldogs to get within striking distance. The Aggies missed nine of 11 second-half freebies, allowing Fresno State to get within nine.
Matinez hit two charity shots in the final seconds for an 89-81 win.
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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.
