Utah State Aggies basketball defeats Montana Grizzlies – Deseret News

LOGAN – The visitors from Big Sky country gave the Aggies their biggest test of the young season, but Utah State managed to emerge with a 95-83 victory over Montana on Monday night at the Spectrum.

“I thought Montana gave us a great fight,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “I’ve been saying it for three days now that I think these guys are going to win the Big Sky and go to the NCAA tournament, I really do.”

Utah State (4-0) fell just short of scoring at least 100 points for the first time this season despite getting a career-high 32 from graduate guard Ian Martinez and a career-high 25 from sophomore guard Mason Falslev .

Falslev went 11 for 17 from the floor with two 3-pointers, while Martinez knocked down four 3-point attempts and went a perfect 16 for 16 from the free-throw line.

That performance is the best ever for an Aggie from the line without a miss, surpassing a 15-of-15 effort by all-time leading scorer Jaycee Carroll in 2007.

“I have to get them all,” Martinez said with a slight smile. “There’s no one to guard me, so I should make them all.”

The Grizzlies (2-3) trailed 49-35 at halftime, but they managed to cut USU’s lead to just two points in the first five minutes of the second half and trailed just 68-63 with just under nine minutes to go in the second half. game.

Montana shot 60% in the first half, 51.6% for the game and defeated the Aggies by a 37-33 margin.

Sophomore guard Money Williams paced the Griz with 25 points, while graduate guard Joe Pridgen (18 points, eight rebounds) and freshman forward Jensen Bradtke (17 points) also scored in double figures.

“I think the guys fought all night,” Montana head coach Travis DeCuire said. “It’s a great crowd and a great environment. I think we knew going in that a run like that could happen in the first half, and I don’t think we ever wanted it to be 15.

“I don’t think we were as ready for the zone as we wanted to be. Give them a lot of credit, they pushed the ball very hard in transition and did a very good job in the second half.”

Utah State actually shot 50% from the field as a team, including a 9-for-20 effort from three-point range. The Aggies, who averaged more than 20 assists per game, finished with just nine against the Grizzlies, but USU made up for that by recording 11 total steals – five of them by Falslev – and 18 total turnovers, which the home team turned into 27 points .

“Not to discredit them, but I think it was more on our side,” Martinez said of Utah State’s lack of assists. “I think we have to come with a better mentality offensively and not let them get into us defensively.

“They did a good job of being physical against us, and we have to do better next time by staying solid and not letting anyone take us out of our offense.”

The Aggies were likely thrown out of their game offensively and defensively due to the absence of starting center Aubin Gateretse. The 6-foot-4 senior suffered a concussion during practice this weekend and was not allowed to play Monday night.

“Hopefully he’ll be out tomorrow,” Calhoun said. “… But he was dizzy after taking a hit to the head, so he’s going to go into protocol, but he’s making really good progress, so we think he’ll be back tomorrow for practice.”

Junior forward Isaac Johnson, who did not play in last week’s match against Westminster, also battled knee and hip problems. That led to Calhoun giving the first career start to Karson Templin, and while the sophomore forward totaled 12 points and nine rebounds in less than 25 minutes, he doesn’t have the same defensive linemanship at 6-foot-4. presence that Gateretse does.

That helped Pridgen get going early, as he scored seven of Montana’s first nine points before the Aggies settled in, rallying from a four-point deficit and going on a 20-8 run to take the lead for good.

Falslev scored six straight points for Utah State late in the half, surviving three straight tough trips to the floor to leave the hosts ahead by 14 at the break.

But after scoring just six points in the first half, Williams totaled 19 points in the second half, keeping the Grizzlies within striking distance.

The 6-foot-4 guard from Oakland had a 30-point performance in Montana’s loss to Tennessee while also dealing with personal tragedy.

His father, Money Williams Sr., died in November 2023, and his mother, Latoya Bailey, died on October 12. After taking a leave of absence from the Grizzlies, he and his sister, Mo’Ney, decided he would stay in school while raising their three younger siblings.

“He’s just a remarkable young man,” Calhoun said of Williams. “I wish him the best for the rest of the season, but also in his life. He has been through a lot; something no young man should have to deal with. So I’m a big fan of his, and I don’t know if I’m allowed to donate (to Williams’ GoFundMe) or not, but I would definitely like to help, so I’m going to ask.”

After opening the season with four straight home games, the Aggies will leave Cache Valley for the first time this season to take on Iowa on Friday night in Kansas City.