Utah State beats Utah Valley

Utah State (1-0) was able to get a win in their season opener, a 75-48 victory at Spectrum arena that 7,430 were in attendance for. The Aggies were a 8.5 favorite and were able to grab a 27 point victory.

The Aggies were in a close game with the Wolverines with a 26-22 lead with 6:13 left in the first half and began to pull away with a three point jumper made by Sean Bairstow with 1:28 left in the first half. Utah State led 41-28 at the half and while the Wolverines did cut the lead to four, the Aggies did pull away with a 63-54 lead with 6:46 left in the second half.

Sean Bairstow (19 points), Taylor Funk (18 points) , and Max Shulga (14 points) were the leaders for Utah State. Bairstow was 8-13 (62%) and had eight rebounds, an assist, and a block. Funk was 8-15 (53%) with 14 rebounds, two assists, a block, and two turnovers. Shulga went 4-9 (44%) with six rebounds, a block, and a turnover.

As a team, Utah State was 29-64 shooting the ball (45%) while Utah Valley was 20-61 (33%). Utah State was 8-19 on three pointers (42%) which was much better than Utah Valley’s 3-19 (16%). One of the concerning points for Utah State was the free throws. The Aggies made just 9 of 16 (56%) which is a number that needs to improve in a very competitive Mountain West conference. Utah State grabbed 47 rebounds compared to Utah Valley’s 34 and and 17 assists to the Wolverine’s eight. Utah State overall had 10 turnovers and committed 16 fouls.

Overall this was a really good start for Utah State as they look to compete with the top teams in the Mountain West. Up next for the Aggies is a November 11th home game against Bradley, who is also 1-0.