Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Utah State overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat Fresno State 89-82.
- Five Aggies scored in double figures, with Karson Templin leading at 18 points.
- Coach Calhoun praised players Dexter Akanno and Drake Allen for their crucial contributions.
LOGAN — Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun knew Saturday's game would be a slog.
The Aggies were coming off three straight wins on the road against formidable competition, with that part of the schedule spanning Christmas and New Year's. The team had to be tired sometime.
But the Aggies pulled off a win anyway, coming back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Fresno State Bulldogs 89-83 at home for their fourth straight win.
"Five days on the road, back-to-back-to-back wins on the road, a little fatigue — it was tough," Calhoun said. "But we found a way to win. I'm proud of the guys. But (it) certainly wasn't our best outing, to say the least."
Five Utah State (14-1, 4-0 MW) players scored in double figures, led by Karson Templin's 18 points, which tied his career high, and 10 rebounds.
Ian Martinez had 16 points and six rebounds, while Mason Falslev had 14 and also had six rebounds. Dexter Akanno scored 13 off the bench, while Drake Allen had 11 points and 11 assists.
"I feel like the team just needed it," Templin said of his play. "Obviously, I'm always going to play hard, I'm always going to bring it. But tonight, the team needed me score a little bit more, maybe get a few more boards. Whatever coach needs, I'm going to need."
The Aggies got off to a slow start, falling behind by as much as 17 points in the first half to a team that came into the game with only four wins. In their win over San Diego State, the Aggies trailed by as many as 18.
Call Utah State the comeback kids.
"We don't want to be in a hole like that," Templin said. "We have tough guys, but we have to be better in the first half."
The Aggies trailed 32-15 with 7:43 left in the first half, then scored 7 straight points. Late in the half, the Aggies scored another 8 straight to cut their deficit to 41-37. At halftime, they trailed just 42-39.
The Aggies took their first lead of the game at 53-52 with 14:38 left in the game. Fresno State (4-11, 0-4 MW) and Utah State played even for a few minutes until a 13-3 run gave the Aggies a 69-59 advantage.
Although Martinez and Falslev scored close to their averages, Falslev struggled shooting for the most of the night, and Martinez's moments felt few and far between. It was the bench players who stepped up when the two best players were more on the quiet side.
It was Akanno's 3-pointer that started that crucial 8-0 run to end the first half. He also had a highlight one-handed dunk down the stretch of the second half.
Templin made big play after big play, including a dunk that put the Aggies up 6 with less than a minute left in the game. And Allen's transition layup gave the Aggies their first lead of the game, and he was the team's star distributor.
"I thought (Allen) and (Akanno) won the game tonight," Calhoun said.
The Bulldogs pulled within 4 on three occasions down the stretch, but the Aggies held them off.
"Tonight was the first night it felt like I was coaching effort," Calhoun said. "I haven't had to do that in 15 games. We can't have that."
