Undefeated Utah State Pulls Away From North Texas Late

ORLANDO, Florida – Utah State didn’t play its best basketball but found a way to hang on against a defensive-minded North Texas team in a 61-57 win.

Utah State advanced to the NIT Season Tip-Off championship after hanging on to beat St. Bonaventure on Thanksgiving. North Texas blew out Northern Iowa for a chance to face the Aggies.

RELATED: USU Stays Undefeated With Win Over St. Bonaventure

🏆 𝐍𝐈𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐈𝐏-𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐒 🏆#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/CGwO7wnAo4

— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 30, 2024

The third career-high in four games for Mason Falslev paced Utah State with 28 points, playing the entire second half. Ian Martinez added 12 points while knocking down seven free throws on a night when his shot wasn’t falling.

First Half

Both offenses struggled in the opening 20 minutes. Neither team shot better than 35 percent, and North Texas grabbed a 25-23 lead at the break.

KT through the contact 💪@karsontemplin #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/AvxcRi9GW9

— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 29, 2024

Sophomore Mason Flaslev led his team with ten points on 4-of-5 shooting in 15 minutes. Grad transfer Dexter Akanno came off the bench to add a bucket and six rebounds in 12 minutes. Ian Martinez struggled to 1-of-5 shooting against a stout Mean Green defense.

Point guard Atin Green led North Texas with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep.

Second Half

Utah State’s defense prevailed in a hard-fought Aggie win. Despite scoring a season-low 61 points, USU improved to 7-0 with a 61-57 victory over the Mean Green.

MASON FALSLEV. FOUR-POINT PLAY.

He's got a career-high 26 points!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/3T9GwlbJnv

— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 30, 2024

Mason Falslev hit three threes on his way to 18 second-half points. Falslev showed his toughness several times by hitting tough shots and finishing whenever the Aggies needed a bucket down the stretch.

Utah State’s defense limited North Texas to 36.1 percent shooting for the game and 23.3 percent from deep.

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Utah State returns to Logan for its Mountain West opener against the Wyoming Cowboys on Wednesday, December 4. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. MT.

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Brian Preece is a KSLSports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here.

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