Merrill drops 37 PTs and Utah St. dumps Montana St. by 30
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Sam Merrill scored a career-high 37 points and Utah State smothered Montana State 101-71 in the season opener for both teams Tuesday night.
In the coaching debut of Utah State's Craig Smith, Merrill had the ninth-highest scoring total by a visiting player in the history of Worthington Arena. The Aggies missed just three of 26 free throw attempts in the contest.
Utah State overwhelmed the Bobcats on the glass by a 51-25 margin. The Aggies collared 16 offensive rebounds and converted them into 17 points.
The Aggies slowly built their lead and led 29-19 with 7:40 to play before halftime. Montana State trimmed the margin to six twice, but Utah State closed the half by scoring on three straight possessions to grab a 50-34 advantage. Dwayne Brown Jr. scored 15 points for Utah State.
Tyler Hall led the Bobcats with 15 points and Harald Frey scored 13.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Ronnie Hernandez
- Casey McClellan
- Nate Harris
2024-25 Mountain West Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State | 1-0 | - | 11-1 |
| San Diego State | 1-0 | - | 8-2 |
| Boise State | 1-0 | - | 9-3 |
| New Mexico | 1-0 | - | 9-3 |
| Colorado State | 1-0 | - | 7-5 |
| UNLV | 0-0 | 0.5 | 6-5 |
| Nevada | 0-1 | 1 | 8-4 |
| Wyoming | 0-1 | 1 | 7-5 |
| San José State | 0-1 | 1 | 7-6 |
| Fresno State | 0-1 | 1 | 4-8 |
| Air Force | 0-1 | 1 | 3-9 |
2024-25 Big Sky Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Arizona | 0-0 | - | 8-4 |
| Northern Colorado | 0-0 | - | 8-5 |
| Portland State | 0-0 | - | 7-5 |
| Montana | 0-0 | - | 7-6 |
| Weber State | 0-0 | - | 6-7 |
| Idaho State | 0-0 | - | 5-6 |
| Idaho | 0-0 | - | 5-8 |
| Montana State | 0-0 | - | 5-8 |
| Eastern Washington | 0-0 | - | 3-9 |
| Sacramento State | 0-0 | - | 3-9 |
Men's College Basketball News
