Utah State Men’s Basketball Remains Undefeated with Thrilling Win Over St. Bonaventure

Utah State men’s basketball continued their unbeaten streak with a hard-fought 72-67 victory over St. Bonaventure on Thursday evening at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. This win marked a significant milestone as it advanced the Aggies to the NIT Season Tip-Off championship game.

The game was a battle between two of the nation’s remaining unbeaten teams, with Utah State improving to 6-0 and St. Bonaventure suffering their first loss to drop to 6-1. The Aggies overcame a challenging first half, during which they experienced an 18-minute field goal drought, to mount a strong second-half comeback. Sophomore guard Mason Falslev led the team with 15 points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds, along with two assists and two steals.

Despite a strong start by the Aggies, who opened the game with a 7-0 scoring run, they fell behind 30-25 at halftime. However, the team’s relentless defense and efficient rebounding kept them within striking distance. In the second half, back-to-back three-pointers from graduate guard Dexter Akanno helped trim the Bonnies’ lead, and an 18-3 run by the Aggies gave them an eight-point lead, their largest of the night. The lead eventually ballooned to as many as 13 points with under three minutes remaining.

In addition to Falslev’s standout performance, other Aggies who scored in double figures included graduate guard Ian Martinez and Akanno with 14 points each, graduate guard Drake Allen with 12 points, and senior center Aubin Gateretse with 10 points. The team’s shooting percentages significantly improved in the second half, jumping to 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.

Utah State will now face the winner of North Texas and Northern Iowa in the NIT Season Tip-Off championship game on November 29, with the game set to tip off at 4:30 p.m. MT on ESPN2.