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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mason Falslev flipped up a long 3-pointer as the shot clock expired and it fell in. The shot gave the Aggies a 6-point lead down the stretch of the second half.
He did it again a few minutes later — albeit under more control — which gave the Aggies a 7-point lead.
Those two shots weren't the only reason Utah State beat Iowa to stay undefeated on the season, but they definitely sealed the victory Friday night.
"We had a lot of guys step up," Aggies coach Jerrod Calhoun said, adding that Falslev was "certainly unbelievable in huge moments."
Falslev led the Aggies (5-0) with 25 points and 12 rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting in a 77-69 win over the Hawkeyes in Kansas City. Utah State handed Iowa (5-1) its first loss of the season and held it to the lowest scoring output of the season for the Hawkeyes.
Ian Martinez scored 13 points, six assists and six rebounds on just 6-of-15 shooting, while Tucker Anderson contributed 10 points and five rebounds.
Martinez was limited in the first half with foul trouble, and Falslev said that caused the team to adapt. The team, he added, succeeded in doing that Friday night.
Iowa shot 5-of-26 from the 3-point line, as Utah State's matchup zone seemed to give Iowa big problems throughout the entire game.
"We knew Iowa had not seen anything like it," Calhoun said of the team's defense. "I think it worked to a T tonight."
Calhoun said the coaching staff watched all five of Iowa's previous games to prep for Friday; and in that tape, he saw how important it was for the Aggies to guard the 3-point line.
"A big part of their offense is 3-point shooting," Calhoun said. "So you really, really have to be able to guard the ball to take the 3 away."
Utah State started strong, but went on a scoring drought and had to play from behind for almost all of the first half and some of the second. The Aggies trailed 37-33 at halftime, shooting just 36% from the field overall.
But Utah State's defense was strong enough that when it took the lead, it held on. It helped that the Aggies shot better than 56% in the second half, too.
And with Falslev's two big shots down the stretch and some other timely baskets, the Aggies may have earned themselves an important Quad 1 win early in the season.
"Our guys are winners," Calhoun said. "They're going to find a way to win, and they did that tonight."
Utah State plays St. Bonaventure on Thursday in Orlando.
