Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Utah State lost 72-47 to UCLA, exiting NCAA Tournament's first round.
- Aggies struggled with 30% field shooting and 13% from 3-point range.
- Coach Calhoun seeks a post threat to improve 3-point shooting next season.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Utah State no longer has dancing partners after Thursday night.
The Aggies lost 72-47 to the UCLA Bruins and exited the NCAA Tournament in the first round. It's the third time in their previous four tournament appearances the Aggies have failed to advance beyond the first round.
Utah State shot just 30% from the field overall and an abysmal 13% from behind the 3-point line.
"We got beat and got beat soundly," Aggies coach Jerrod Calhoun said.
Mason Falslev had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Aggies, while Dayton Albury added 12 points. Ian Martinez scored just 2 points on 1-of-11 shooting and was held scoreless in the first half.
"I just didn't want to lose," Falslev said. "Was trying to crash every board doing everything I could to help us."
The Aggies gave up a 7-0 run and trailed 17-10 with 12:08 left in the first half. A 6-0 run later put Utah State within 1 in favor of UCLA, but the Bruins exploded on a 14-2 run to take a 39-25 lead with 1:32 left in the half.
Utah State trailed 39-27 at halftime.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Calhoun inserted Jordy Barnes and Isaac Johnson into the lineup, searching for any combination of players who could close the gap. But the Bruins continued their domination, and a 9-0 run gave UCLA a 20-point lead with 13:06 left in the game.
Utah State scored 10 straight points late in the game to cut the deficit to 16 with 5:14 remaining, but it wasn't enough to challenge UCLA late.
"I think the disappointing thing was we just could not manufacture points," Calhoun said. "We got a lot, a lot of open looks. It was crazy the amount of open shots we had and didn't make."
The loss marked the end of the season for Utah State, which started the 2024-25 season with a new coach in Calhoun. In the preseason, Utah State was picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West Conference.
Despite the expectations, the Aggies started 10-0 on the season, led by Falslev and Martinez. Later in the season, players like Dexter Akanno, Tucker Anderson, Deyton Albury and Karson Templin became more reliable and consistent. They entered the NCAA Tournament with a 26-7 record as a No. 10 seed.
The Aggies, however, also entered the tournament losing three of their previous five games. One of the issues plaguing the team was poor 3-point shooting and turnovers.
Calhoun has not been shy lately about his desire to acquire a big man who can be a post threat via the transfer portal, which opens Monday. He said a player like that can help the Aggies become a better 3-point shooting team.
"You have to be able to pass, and you have to able to get easy 3s," Calhoun said. "The best way to get easy 3s are from post-ups; we didn't have that this year. We had a lob threat and then some other guys that really struggled at times, to be quite honest with you. So we've got to put all our focus on the front court and really, really try to address that."
Martinez, Akanno and Aubin Gateretse will graduate, while Calhoun said the team has five incoming players he feels confident about for next season.
Falslev, who has now seen action in two consecutive NCAA Tournament runs, is hungry for more.
"I'm definitely motivated and want to get back here next year and make a run," Falslev said. "That's the dream."
All signs point to Calhoun not being a one-and-done coach for the Aggies. Last month, he revealed that he was in talks on a contract extension. On Thursday, he appeared to intimate that he had been offered that deal.
"I was just offered a tremendous opportunity by Diana (Sabau) and the staff over the last really 24 hours," Calhoun said.
