LOGAN — In the first two minutes of Utah State’s eventual 110-54 season-opening win over Westminster, the Aggies shot a chilly 1 of 6 from the field. For the rest of the night, they shot 42 of 69, good for what was ultimately a 60.9 field goal percentage.
A significant portion of that scoring came on 3-pointers. Specifically, 19 made threes which was the highest single-game total since 2022 when the Aggies set a program record with 21 long-distance makes.
“It’s one of the better shooting teams I’ve seen. They can really shoot the ball,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said of his team.
Jerrod Calhoun post-game presser after Utah State’s 110-54 win over Westminster. pic.twitter.com/TA9pdvVtan
— Jason Walker (@jwalker_sports) November 4, 2025
While the entire team had its share of 3-point success, a lot of it was centered on Tucker Anderson, MJ Collins and Kolby King. The trio made 12 of the Aggies triples between them. For Anderson, his 3-for-5 performances was certainly a relief as he shot just 20.7% from three in the Spectrum last year. As for Collins, he entered the night as a career 28.1% shooter from distance. His five made 3-pointers set a new career-high and powered an also-career-best (and team-high) 23 points on 9 of 11 overall shooting.
“It was amazing. Just been able to feel like myself again,” Collins said of his career night. “I first want to thank God, of course, my family, my teammates, and most importantly, my coaches for all believing in me, allowing me to go out there and just be a player. And it was a great team win.”
MJ CAN NOT MISS 🔥#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/KCKrBmmLLe
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 4, 2025
The offensive explosion took place despite not really running any notable offensive plays or sets. Calhoun said he “didn’t want to show a whole lot tonight” ahead of a big non-conference neutral-site matchup with VCU on Friday. Virtually every trip down the court was to, as Calhoun put it, “get to the next advantage.” In that free-flowing environment, the Aggies floroushed, putting up an offensive rating of 152.8. And that freedom is something Calhoun said the players have embraced.
“That’s the thing about our guys, like MJ’s in every day, asking questions. They’re very curious. They like this style of play,” Calhoun said.
Utah State’s best offensive burst came at the start of the second half. Already up 53-27, the Aggies scored 23 points in the first 4:20 of the second half. It was the defense that fueled the offense. USU forced five turnovers and ran, literally, with those loose balls, scoring 19 of those 23 points on fastbreaks.
Collins was the most notable statistically among the newcomers, but almost every player who made their Aggie debut made a statement. Collins had his 23 points, King had 16 (second most on the team). Garry Clark had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The only transfer player who struggled to some degree was Luke Kearney, who went 0-for-1 from the field with two rebounds and one assist. Though Calhoun went to bat for the Air Force transfer, saying “Luke’s going to win us some games this year.”
Not to be forgotten among newcomers were the two freshmen who played, Elijah Perryman and Adlan Elamin, as each reached double figures in scoring. Elamin had 12 points along with two steals and two blocks. Perryman had 10 points and eight assists. Monday was the first time two freshmen have scored in double figures for the Aggies in the same game since Steven Ashworth (10) and Rollie Worster (12) on Jan. 21, 2021 vs Colorado State.
The first of many points in an Aggie uniform for EP#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/QXfFe1Lkii
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 4, 2025
Adlan Elamin. You’re going to want to remember that name. #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/0cyLlXpl7j
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 4, 2025
With most of the newcomers coming off the bench, it contributed to 57 total bench points for the Aggies, which itself outstripped the entire Westminster team.
“I thought we wore down the last three weeks of last year’s season. That was something I never wanted to see happen again as long as I coach,” Calhoun said. “You’ll see we’re going to play a lot of guys. I think some coaches say that. We’re going to do it.”
A few roster updates were given by Calhoun after the game. He noted that Utah transfer Zach Keller sprained his ankle during Saturday’s practice, which led to the forward missing the season opener. According to Calhoun, Keller could have played if needed and is expecting the 6-foot-10 forward to play on Friday.
“We need Zach back,” Calhoun said. “He’s one of our smartest post players, whether it’s on offense or defense. So his presence, we missed a little bit.”
The three redshirts Calhoun alluded to on Saturday will be freshmen Kingston Tosi, David Iweze and Brayden Boe, the coach confirmed.
Utah State’s next matchup, the aforementioned game against VCU, will be arguably the biggest contest of the Aggies’ early non-conference schedule (and up there with South Florida and Memphis for overall top non-conference game). The game will take place in Frisco, Texas. Tip-off is scheduled at 6 p.m. Mountain Time.
