Aggies outlast Grand Canyon behind late-game poise
In a game that felt like March before the calendar flips, Utah State Men’s Basketball leaned on toughness and just enough late-game execution to hold off Grand Canyon 74-69 on Feb. 28 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Utah State shot 48% from the field, 48% from three with 11-of-23, assisted on 18 baskets and committed just six turnovers — the brand of offensive efficiency that has defined the Aggies at home all season. They also forced 14 turnovers and turned them into 15 points, critical in a five-point game that swung possession by possession in the final minutes.
“I thought it was a great college basketball game,” said head coach Jerrod Calhoun. “Kind of a tail of two halves. Toughness matters, and I thought that’s what won the game tonight.”
Graduate guard Drake Allen delivered one of his most aggressive performances of the season, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and 2-of-3 from three. While he missed five of six free throws, his downhill pressure and timely shot-making were vital.
“I think today, I was just thinking, ‘You know what, I only have two games left in the Spec,'” Allen said. “Got to give it everything I got.”
He did from the outset.
After Grand Canyon opened with a Makaih Williams three, Allen answered with one of his own. Moments later, he buried another triple. When Utah State’s spacing stretched GCU’s drop coverage, Allen attacked back cuts and seams, scoring 14 first-half points on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field.
His most emphatic moment came midway through the first half with a soaring poster dunk over 7-foot-1-inch center Efe Demirel that sent the Spectrum into a frenzy and pushed the Aggies’ lead to double digits.
“I felt like my younger self,” Allen said with a smile.
Calhoun said the aggressiveness reflected advice from his longtime friend Joe Mazzulla gave him hours before tipoff.
“[Mazzulla] just told me, ‘You’re probably going to go as far as your point guard is going to go.’ Drake Allen’s got to go, like, it’s time to get going here,” Calhoun said. “Put pressure on the rim, rebound the ball, steal the ball and be more aggressive. And tonight, I liked the look in his eye.”
Allen has now scored 15 or more points twice this season — both coming in the past week — as defenses increasingly load up on Mason Falslev and MJ Collins Jr.
“With so much pressure on Mason and MJ, I’ve got to be able to make plays,” Allen said.
Utah State’s early plan was clear: stretch the floor against GCU’s rim protection.
Karson Templin and Zach Keller each drilled first-half threes as the Aggies opened 7-of-10 from deep. The ball popped side-to-side, the extra pass found rhythm shooters and Utah State built a 41-27 halftime lead.
“We were tremendous in the first half, sharing the ball, making the right play,” Calhoun said.
Grand Canyon, meanwhile, struggled to find consistent rhythm early, turning the ball over eight times in the opening 20 minutes. Utah State’s verticality in the paint and active hands limited second chances, a stark contrast to the teams’ first meeting in Phoenix.
But the second half flipped.
GCU came out with more force, pushing in transition and attacking the glass. Nana Owusu-Anane hit a couple of threes, Brian Moore Jr. found driving lanes and All-Mountain West caliber wing Jaden Henley began asserting himself.
Utah State’s offense stalled with multiple scoring droughts, rushed midrange attempts and stagnant possessions. Grand Canyon erased a 14-point deficit and eventually took its first lead since the opening minutes when Moore Jr. buried a three with 4:52 remaining.
“They just kept battling and chipping away,” Calhoun said. “Their defense was elite. They make it hard on you to score.”
Henley finished with 22 points, including eight in the final two minutes. He showcased the full package — size, handle, downhill burst — with a late behind-the-back move and dunk that kept GCU within one possession.
“He’s a stud,” Calhoun said. “They’ve got three guards that can just go downhill and put pressure on that rim.”
Utah State never panicked.
After falling behind 59-58, Falslev answered with two free throws and a tough drive and score to reclaim the lead. Then came the dagger sequence.
With 2:55 left and the shot clock winding down, Kolby King, who was 0-for-2 to that point, rose and buried a deep three to push the lead to six.
“He works every single day,” Allen said. “I wasn’t surprised he shot it. I wasn’t surprised he made it.”
Moments later, off a defensive stop and in transition, Falslev drew two defenders and kicked to Collins Jr. in the corner. Collins Jr. drilled the open three with 33 seconds left to stretch the lead to five.
“We kept playing fast,” Allen said. “Sometimes in those moments, you tighten up. We didn’t.”
Even as Henley scored late, Utah State’s defense strung together key possessions by running shooters off the line, forcing midrange attempts and finishing with rebounds.
“To hold Grand Canyon to 69 — really proud of that,” Calhoun said. “It really came down to three or four possessions.”
The Aggies’ stat line reflected their identity: 18 assists, six turnovers, balanced scoring and timely shot-making. When Utah State reaches 18 or more assists, it almost always wins.
“We’re kind of a read-the-game team,” Calhoun said. “Who’s got the hot hand? What’s the mismatch?”
Despite lacking a do-it-all playmaker to take over in tight moments, the Aggies have relied on different players stepping up at key stretches. In this game, it was Allen early, Falslev late, Collins Jr. with clutch buckets down the stretch and King providing a spark off the bench.
And through it all, the Spectrum — packed with a student section that camped outside the arena all week — delivered an atmosphere rarely seen anywhere in the country.
“It doesn’t get better than this,” Allen said. “Playing in front of the HURD — there’s nothing like it.”
With two games remaining and the Mountain West race tightening, Utah State responded to consecutive road losses with resilience rather than fracture.
“You don’t just walk to a championship,” Allen said. “We’ve got to play every possession like it’s a championship game.”