Darius Brown II, Utah State take over first in Mountain West, beating No. 19 San Diego State 68-63
Utah State guard Darius Brown II (10) reacts after making a 3-pointer against San Diego State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Logan, Utah. Credit: AP/Eli Lucero
LOGAN, Utah — Darius Brown II scored a season-high 25 points and Utah State beat No. 19 San Diego State 68-63 on Tuesday night to take sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference.
“We’re fighters. We know that we had a couple games where we were struggling,” Brown said. “We knew what we had to do. We made enough winning plays to win.”
Great Osobor matched his career high with seven assists while adding 17 points and seven rebounds for the Aggies (22-5, 10-4), who went ahead for good late in the first half on a 3-pointer by Brown.
“(Brown) is big time, he does so much for our team whether it’s guarding the primary ball handler or distributing,” Osobor said. “He is one of the best point guards that I’ve played with. When you have someone like that it gives you confidence.”
Jaedon LeDee scored 23 points for the Aztecs (20-7, 9-5), who have lost five of their past six road games. San Diego State went 3 of 19 from beyond the arc.
“Credit to Utah State, they have a very good team, but we have to play better on the road to win in a place like this,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said. “I thought we played the right way, but we didn’t make enough timely plays to win the game.”
The Aztecs missed their first six shots and their 63 points matched a season low.
Utah State forward Great Osobor (1) shoots the ball as San Diego State forward Jay Pal (4) and forward Jaedon LeDee defend during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Logan, Utah. Credit: AP/Eli Lucero
“It was little things, being in the gaps at the right time,” Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle said. “The effort plays, the little details defensively, that’s what won the game for us.”
Utah State led 31-26 at halftime and pushed ahead 58-49 on a dunk by Ian Martinez with 7:52 remaining. The Aztecs responded with a 9-1 run to get within 59-58 with 4:47 left.
But San Diego State went cold from there, and Brown beat the shot clock with a 3 that gave the Aggies a 64-58 advantage with 2:05 remaining. He finished 5 of 9 from long range.
“I knew we had to be aggressive offensively,” Sprinkle said.
San Diego State forward Jay Pal (4) dunks the ball as Utah State center Isaac Johnson, left, and guard Ian Martinez defend during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Logan, Utah. Credit: AP/Eli Lucero
BIG PICTURE
San Diego State fell into third place in the Mountain West, a game behind Utah State and trailing Boise State by percentage points.
Utah State bounced back from a 20-point loss at Colorado State on Saturday.
“Our team is so together and that’s what makes this team special. I’m just really proud of our effort and the response they had coming off the Colorado State game,” Sprinkle said.
UP NEXT
San Diego State visits Fresno State on Saturday.
Utah State visits Fresno State next Tuesday.
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