Aggies take down Aztecs 68-63
Utah State University men’s basketball beat the San Diego State Aztecs 68-63 in a low-scoring game Tuesday night.
“Everybody had their hand in it,” coach Danny Sprinkle said, referring to the overall effort of the team during the game.
USU’s 21 wins are the third-most in the nation this season under a head coach in his first year at the school.
The Aggies were coming off a road game loss against Colorado State, but that didn’t stop them from playing well, according to point guard Darius Brown II.
“We didn’t even really talk about the Colorado State game,” Brown said.
Before the game started, there was a moment of silence for Spirit Squad member Tanner Moore, who recently passed away.
Ian Martinez made the first bucket of the game off a pass from Isaac Johnson at the top of the key. In his last 10 games, Martinez averaged 15.4 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
Mason Falslev started off hot with two buckets, which brought the score of 6-0 in favor of the Aggies. Falslev is the only Aggie since 2010 to have 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals in a game.
“Shout out to Mason for crashing,” Brown said, referring to Falslev’s last second 3-pointer at the end of the second half.
With a media timeout called at 11:54, Great Osobor led the team with four points, three rebounds and one assist.
“It’s about trusting the rest of my team,” Osobor said.
Aggies struggled to keep their lead as the Aztecs overtook them 19-17 a few plays later.
Then Brown drained a deep three to get the Aggies tied with the Aztecs at 21 apiece.
The Aztecs called a timeout when the score was tied at 23, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
Kalifa Sakho left the backboard shaking after a slam dunk and a pass received from Osobor.
“He is one of the most athletic people I have encountered in my life,” Osobor said about Sakho.
Brown started out the half with a 3-pointer, one of five he made during this game.
Osobor landed an and-one layup to force Aztec coach Brian Dutcher to call a timeout. After the intermission, he made the extra point to make it a three-point play.
A few plays later, he wiped the basketball off the backboard from a shooting Aztec to send the crowd into an uproar.
On the other side of the court, Osobor sent a pass to Brown for a 3-pointer. Finally, Aztec Lamont Butler turned over the ball, and a media timeout came to save the Aztecs. The score was 49-39 in favor of the Aggies with 11:36 left in the second half.
After a scoring drought of 2:48, Sprinkle called a timeout at 4:37 left in the second half. This worked in his favor, as the Aztecs only scored low in the final few minutes of the game.
The Player of the Game was Brown, who drained another three to get the entire crowd on their feet.
With 16 seconds left, the Aggies got a defensive rebound to seal the game. Brown was on the free-throw line with 7.3 seconds left and made both of them to end the game with a score of 68-63 in favor of the Aggies.
“The basketball game rewards you,” Osobor said.