Aggies survive hot Cowboy shooting, open conference play with a win

Utah State basketball survived a tightly fought game against Wyoming on Wednesday night to stay unbeaten. The Aggies rode a strong second-half performance from their star guards to improve to 8-0 for just the fifth time in program history. 

The first half against the Cowboys was much of the same for USU. They continued their recent trend of starting slow, starting the game 1-8 from the field and hitting just two of their first 11 three-point attempts. 

“Got to figure out a way to start games faster,” said guard Ian Martinez after the game. “We always kind of start slow. Probably not a good thing, but it’s good that it’s happening right now, earlier and not later down the line, so we’ve still got time to fix it.”

Wyoming led for over 14 minutes of the first half with the Aggies’ cold start shooting. Utah State’s defense kept them in the game, as it has in recent games, forcing three shot clock violations and six turnovers in the first half. The Aggies also had more shot attempts and free throw attempts in the first half, with 32 and five, respectively, compared to Wyoming’s 24 and zero. 

As it has in recent games, the Aggie offense eventually caught up late in the half. A four-point play from Dexter Akanno pulled them to within one with 1:31 remaining in the half. After a defensive stop and an Ian Martinez three-pointer, the Aggies took the lead 31-29. USU ended the half on an 8-0 run and up 32-29 after Karson Templin sunk a free throw to extend their lead. 

Typically, the Aggies’ slow first half is overshadowed by a strong second half that powers them to victory. While the Aggies held on to win, their second half saw many of the same struggles. 

On the other hand, Wyoming shot the lights out from deep all night. They finished the game shooting an impressive 46% from downtown, including several big threes during a 10-2 run down the stretch that gave them the lead.  

“Every team is going to have games where they might come in shooting 27, 28% from three, and then, you know, they get hot, right? That’s the scary part about basketball,” said head coach Jarrod Calhoun postgame. “I thought our rebounding and then our ability to just make a few more plays than them in the end, is what won the game.”

After that run, the Cowboys had a one-point lead with just over five minutes left. Despite Utah State’s slow night offensively, once again, the two-headed beast of Falslev and Martinez fueled them to victory.

Trailing 59-58 with 5:16 left, the dynamic duo combined to score 10 of USU’s final 12 points and outscored Wyoming 10-8 by themselves. Martinez was a much-needed spark through the whole second half, scoring 17 of his 23 points in the second half alone. 

“We’re two guys that can get hot pretty quick. You’ve seen Mason in the past tournament getting hot,” Martinez said. “Especially being some of the guards with experience from last year, we’ve just got to find a way to lead the team towards the end and get that dub.”

The returning Aggies made the difference in the game overall, with Falslev and Martinez combining for 42 of USU’s 70 points and Templin adding 11 points of his own. 

“The returning guys are carrying us. They’re absolutely carrying us,” said Calhoun. “So, we’ve got to get these other guys up to speed, and that starts tomorrow at practice.”

Utah State will have a few games off in conference play as they play four straight non-conference games. The Aggies host in-state opponent Utah Tech in the Spectrum on Saturday night, looking to start the season 9-0 for the second time in the last three seasons.