LOGAN, Utah \u2013\u00a0 The Utah State Aggies struggled to get the energy going, but momentum built quickly in a 96-78 win over San Jos\u00e9 State.<\/p>\n
The Aggies (12-1, 3-0 MW) hosted the Spartans (5-9, 0-3 MW) at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, January 3.<\/p>\n
USU began the day tied with Nevada and San Diego State at 2-0 on Mountain West play. San Jos\u00e9 State joins Colorado State, Fresno State, and Air Force at the bottom of the league at 0-2.<\/p>\n
Ring in the new year with us at the Spectrum! <\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc0: vs San Jose State \ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f: https:\/\/t.co\/oQdple3FPg<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ihmshPo49f<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 USU Men\u2019s Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n MW leading scorer MJ Collins Jr led all scorers with 23 points, adding four rebounds in 31 minutes.<\/p>\n Mason Falslev added 17 points before fouling out, and Garry Clark came off the bench to score 16 points while grabbing five boards.<\/p>\n Freshman guard Elijah Perryman continues finding a way to contribute off the bench. He finished with a 13-point, 10-assist double-double in 22 massive bench minutes.<\/p>\n First Half<\/p>\n Utah State opened the afternoon by making eight of its first eleven shots, but a hot San Jos\u00e9 State team held a 23-20 lead halfway through the period.<\/p>\n The Spartans went 5-of-9 from three in the opening minutes.<\/p>\n Hand in the face, no problem.#AggiesAllTheWay<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/k9VbocVB6c<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 USU Men\u2019s Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n MJ Collins Jr. was whistled for a technical four after some extracurricular taunting as Utah State began showing signs of frustration.<\/p>\n SJSU knocked down back-to-back triples, taking a 35-31 lead with 6:48 left.<\/p>\n KT on cleanup duty \ud83e\uddf9#AggiesAllTheWay<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/SN1vB3CZL2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 USU Men\u2019s Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n An uncharacteristically poor defensive performance sent USU into the break trailing 51-48 despite shooting 59 percent from the field.<\/p>\n San Jos\u00e9 State made 16-of-28 (57 percent) from the field and hit nine threes along with a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe. Spartan forward Adrian Myers drained four shots from deep to lead his team.<\/p>\n Mason Falslev led all scorers with 13 points, followed by 11 from Collins Jr.<\/p>\n Second Half<\/p>\n SJSU grabbed its largest lead, 55-48, 90 seconds into the second half after a couple of Aggie turnovers.<\/p>\n A Garry Clark and-one cut the deficit to two with 14:41 left.<\/p>\n Utah State used five straight made baskets to take its first lead since the 3:44 mark in the first half when Clark made a lay-in with 12:27 remaining.<\/p>\n Freshman Elijah Perryman drilled his first three, followed by another putback lay-in from Clark to increase its lead to 73-68.<\/p>\n ELIJAH FROM THE CORNER#AggiesAllTheWay<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/sVcTec26JP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 USU Men\u2019s Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Spectrum crowd exploded when a turnover led to a two-handed slam from Collins Jr to cap a 9-0 Aggie run.<\/p>\n USU took an 84-77 lead into the final media timeout.<\/p>\n MJ\u2019s got the Spectrum on its feet \ud83d\udd0a#AggiesAllTheWay<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TcdykR8RQa<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 USU Men\u2019s Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n A 22-9 run allowed Utah State to turn a tight game into a runaway in seven minutes of game time.<\/p>\n The Aggies improved to 3-0 in conference play with a 96-78 win.<\/p>\n Follow Utah State basketball with KSL Sports<\/p>\n The Aggies head to Fort Collins, Colorado, for a matchup with the Air Force Falcons on Tuesday, January 6. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. MT.<\/p>\n Find Utah State\u2019s entire 2025-26 men\u2019s basketball schedule\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brian Preece is a KSLSports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian\u2019s Bees and Beehive baseball\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0Find Brian on\u00a0X,<\/a>\u00a0Instagram,<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0BlueSky<\/a>\u00a0at @bpreece24.<\/p>\n Find KSL Sports coverage of Utah State University Athletics\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Take us with you wherever you go.<\/p>\n Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah\u2019s sports leader. You can stream live radio and video and stay updated on all your favorite teams.<\/a><\/p>\n Listen to USU basketball games on\u00a0KSL Sports Zone<\/a>\u00a0with Scott Garrard on the call.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udccd: The Spectrum
\ud83d\udd51: 2 PM
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