LOGAN – In a return to previous form, Utah State flew past Air Force in an 87-47 victory on senior night and in the regular season finale.
Air Force came into the game loser of three straight contests by 20-plus points (21 at New Mexico, 22 vs Colorado State and 23 to Boise State) and had the memory of a 29-point loss to USU in Colorado Springs on Jan. 25 not too far in the rearview mirror. That the Falcons would lose and lose big to the Aggies was a near foregone conclusion. And yet the Aggies still managed an impressive start to the game.
The game was close for exactly two possessions. On Utah State’s opening trip down the court, Deyton Albury hit a 3-pointer. Air Force answered with a 3-pointer from Luke Kearney. Then, over the next seven minutes, the Aggies outscored the Falcons 21-2, leading to a 19-point lead before the second media timeout had been called for.
Air Force never drew closer than 14 points in the final 27 minutes of the game. Utah State piled on run after run, only once suffering any kind of cold spell, and dominating on defense, an area of the game that’s been a big focus for the team after giving up 175 total points in two games last week and allowing 75.9 points per game across the month of February.
“We were making little mistakes here and there that were just costing us, making us rotate a little bit more than we needed to,” USU guard Drake Allen said, speaking mostly of last week’s efforts. “So we just focused on dialing in a little bit more on guarding the ball and a little less on people on the opposite side of the court or hugging up to our man. Instead of that, we’re just going to have all five guys guard the ball. And that’ll help with guarding the ball. That’ll help with keeping people out of the paint. It’ll make it hard for people to get shots.”
The 47 points allowed by Utah State is the fewest since the season opener against Alcorn State (allowed 46). The 19 turnovers the Aggies forced are the third-most on the season (behind 21 each against Westminster and South Florida).
While the departing seniors — Dexter Akanno, Aubin Gateretse and Ian Martinez — were the ceremonial stars of the night, several of Utah State’s less-experienced players took center stage in the opening half. True freshman Jordy Barnes hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first half with Mason Falslev being the statistical star of the afternoon. Falslev led the Aggies in points (18), rebounds (seven) and tied for the team lead in assists (four).
LOOK OUT BELOW 👀@mason_falslev pic.twitter.com/WIeHJRXDG2
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 8, 2025
Akanno, Gateretse and Martinez wouldn’t be completely outshined. The senior trio put together their own highlight reel and combined to score 32 points with 10 rebounds and five assists. And befitting a senior day celebration, each of the departing members of the team were able to share tender moments and accomplishments during and after the game.
Martinez put his mark on the game with his 14 points, five rebounds and three assists. He started out hot with a few first-half 3-pointers but later added some big plays inside the paint.
THROUGH THE CONTACT 💪@IanJumaine pic.twitter.com/2ki5LH3i1A
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 8, 2025
Martinez also accomplished the feat of having scored double figures in every regular season game this year. He’s the first Aggie since Jaycee Carroll (in 2007-08) to score double digits in all regular season contests and one of just seven players nation-wide to have at least 31 games of 10-plus points this season.
“He could score in his sleep. There’s guys that are natural-born scorers. This kid can get to the rim. He can make hard shots off the catch. He can dribble into a shot. He’s got a very weird game, to be honest with you. Ian is a very, very difficult guard,” Aggies head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “And we’ll see what happens with the all-league stuff, he’s certainly, in my eyes, a first-team all-league player. A top five player.”
Gateretse got started early in the game, throwing down two dunks in the first five minutes, he closed the night with eight points and a perfect 4-for-4 shooting night to go with three rebounds.
Blessing your timeline with an Aubin lob @Aubinoooo pic.twitter.com/HdrUtRoq15
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 8, 2025
Akanno had the most storybook senior day. He needed just nine points entering the game to cross the 1,000 career point mark. He reached the threshold with a 3-pointer in the second half and ended the night with 10 points.
Career point number 1⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ for Dexter Akanno‼️ pic.twitter.com/8N30LfroE5
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 8, 2025
“I love Dex. Spent some time with Dex yesterday, just thanking him for coming. Thanking him for not bailing on us after (the) Josh Uduje late transfer (with) 30 minutes to go in (the portal window), not bailing on us,” Calhoun said. “And it couldn’t have worked out any better. Dex is one of the best shooters in the Mountain West. He’s got a bright future. He’s going to play high level basketball. I don’t know what level. I don’t know if it’s the NBA, the G-League, or overseas, what his path is going to be. But I think he’s just scratching the surface as crazy as that sounds.”
Utah State’s win secured the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Mountain West Tournament. And while some seeding will be more fully determined tonight, USU’s opponent in the quarterfinal will be one of either UNLV or the same Air Force team the Aggies just pounded into the dirt. The Rebels are coming off a loss to New Mexico in their regular season finale which ended a three game win streak that included victories over Nevada and San Diego State. But UNLV also could be without two key players for the tournament, star sophomore Dedan Thomas Jr. and veteran wing Julian Rishwain.
The Aggies will try to be just the second three seed in MW history to claim victory in the tournament, but just as important is the potential impact on the NCAA Tournament.
“I think this game should solidify us into the NCAA tournament,” Calhoun said. “Our numbers are good enough. If you look at where our numbers are right now, we’re an NCAA tournament team. We’ve beaten really good teams and so now it’s about playing for seeding.”
