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 |
---|---|---|---|
Colorado State | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
Nevada | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
New Mexico | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
UNLV | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
Wyoming | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
Boise State | 0-0 | - | 0-0 |
Fresno State | 0-0 | - | 0-0 |
San Diego State | 0-0 | - | 0-0 |
Utah State | 0-0 | - | 0-0 |
Air Force | 0-0 | - | 0-1 |
San José State | 0-0 | - | 0-1 |
2024-25 Big Sky Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Idaho | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
Montana | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
Northern Arizona | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
Northern Colorado | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
Weber State | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
Idaho State | 0-0 | - | 0-0 |
Montana State | 0-0 | - | 0-0 |
Sacramento State | 0-0 | - | 0-0 |
Eastern Washington | 0-0 | - | 0-1 |
Portland State | 0-0 | - | 0-1 |