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
2023-24 Mountain West Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State | 14-4 | - | 28-7 |
| Nevada | 13-5 | 1 | 26-8 |
| Boise State | 13-5 | 1 | 22-11 |
| UNLV | 12-6 | 2 | 21-13 |
| San Diego State | 11-7 | 3 | 26-11 |
| New Mexico | 10-8 | 4 | 26-10 |
| Colorado State | 10-8 | 4 | 25-11 |
| Wyoming | 8-10 | 6 | 15-17 |
| Fresno State | 4-14 | 10 | 12-21 |
| Air Force | 2-16 | 12 | 9-22 |
| San José State | 2-16 | 12 | 9-23 |
2023-24 Big Sky Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Washington | 15-3 | - | 21-11 |
| Montana | 12-6 | 3 | 24-12 |
| Northern Colorado | 12-6 | 3 | 19-14 |
| Weber State | 11-7 | 4 | 20-12 |
| Montana State | 9-9 | 6 | 17-18 |
| Portland State | 8-10 | 7 | 17-15 |
| Northern Arizona | 7-11 | 8 | 14-19 |
| Idaho State | 7-11 | 8 | 14-20 |
| Idaho | 5-13 | 10 | 11-21 |
| Sacramento State | 4-14 | 11 | 10-24 |
Men's College Basketball News
