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SAN DIEGO — Not much went the Aggies' way Saturday afternoon in San Diego.
"They came in with an edge," Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle said of the Aztecs. "They got almost every 50-50 play; and if you're going to beat San Diego State, you have to come up with those."
Though Utah State took an early lead and held it through most of the first half, San Diego State powered ahead to take the lead, and then began to take control of the game before the break, leading 42-36.
The physical first half resulted in three of the Aggies' big men in early foul trouble: Isaac Johnson, Karson Templin, and Kalifa Sakho. Each had two fouls and showed the Aggies' lack of big-man depth. Utah State, maybe partially due to their timidity after being in early foul trouble, got physically outmatched on the boards all afternoon, losing the rebounding battle 39-30.
"We had some careless fouls that we know were fouls," Sprinkle said. "We have to do a better job being physical without fouling."
The Aggies struggled to find a way back into the game, as almost everything went the Aztecs' way. San Diego State finished shooting 47% from the field and 45% from 3-point range — a shooting performance that allowed the Aztecs to extend their lead progressively throughout the second half to as many as 15 points.
The Aggies were led in scoring by Great Osobor, who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds on 8-of-14 shooting. Mason Falslev followed closely behind, scoring 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Darius Brown also finished in double figures with 13 points, and added eight rebounds and five assists, though he shot just 4-of-14 from the field. He was not the only one to struggle, though, as the Aggies finished just 41% from the field and 26% from 3-point range.
"Tough stretches," Brown said of the Aggies' scoring struggles. "Can't make them all, tough stretch of shooting. I really don't know what else to say about that. We'll get back in the gym."
The Aggies' bench players especially struggled to generate points, finishing with just 6 points off the bench.
Brown credited his team's loss to their difficulty rebounding the ball on defense. Utah State finished with 20 defensive rebounds, while San Diego State finished with 12 offensive rebounds. The Aztecs scored 13 second-chance points.
"We have to be more aggressive without fouling," Sprinkle said. "We have to take care of the basketball."
The Aztecs, though unranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, are currently No. 23 in the NET rankings and are coming off of a deep run in the NCAA Tournament last season. Though they lost in the national championship game to Connecticut, San Diego State made the deepest NCAA Tournament run in Mountain West conference history.
The loss moves the Aggies to 19-3 on the season and 7-2 in conference play. Despite the loss, Utah State remains atop the Mountain West standings as they enter a difficult home stretch against Nevada and Boise State.
