Utah State guard Mason Falslev shoots the ball as Nevada's Tré Coleman defends Tuesday night in Reno.
Having not scored a point nearly 33 minutes into the game, Aggie graduate Ian Martinez was still able to get his average by the final horn.
That's right, the Utah State guard put up 17 points down the stretch and helped the Aggies complete a very impressive road trip Tuesday night at the Lawlor Events Center. The Aggies handed Nevada another close loss, escaping Reno with a 69-64 Mountain West Conference victory in front of 7,528 fans.
"We looked like a good team in the second half," USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. "Nevada is going to win a lot of games. I know everybody is counting them out, but Steve (Alford) is a great coach, and they are a good program. They will bounce back. Hopefully, they win a ton of games."
The win completes a three-game stretch on the road for the Aggies (13-1, 3-0 MW), who notched Ws in each hostile environment. Beating the Wolf Pack (8-6, 0-3) was not easy in the latest.
"I give our guys a ton of credit to go on the road and win at Saint Mary's and San Diego State and now Nevada," Calhoun said. "We have real toughness and can win in a variety of ways. ... I give our guys a ton of credit. I thought our execution in the end was big. ... This was a hostile environment. I got called a lot of names. It was fun."
Martinez certainly finished off 2024 with a memorable seven minutes. Clinging to a 50-46 advantage and having not scored in nearly four minutes of game time, the Aggies turned to No. 4. He delivered.
"It was crazy," said Martinez, who finished 6 of 11 from the field and made all four of his foul shots. "I don't think I've ever played worse in my life in that first half. My teammates kept talking to me and telling me to stay in the game. I just let it come to me. I couldn't have played that well without them. They trusted me and kept me engaged in the game."
With 7:02 to play, Martinez hit a jumper for his first points of the game. How did that first bucket feel?
"It felt like everything I shot was not going to go in, so it was a lot of relief to see that basket go in," Martinez said. "It made me gain confidence and kind of got me going. It was big for my confidence."
The graduate player then went on to score the next 15 points for the Aggies. He made layups, a 3-pointer, drove into the paint for buckets and sank four free throws.
"I tried not to overthink it too much with all the mistakes I made in the first half," Martinez said. "It eventually came back to me and thankfully I made the right plays at the end."
"Ian just took the game over," Calhoun said. "... Ian didn't sulk or pout. ... Seventeen points in the last eight minutes is just unbelievable. He just made great plays. Once he started making them, we had to get him the ball. ... He took over the game. He is a super star, a really, really good player. I've said him and Falslev are the two most underrated players nationally."
Still, the Aggies needed a pair of free throws by Tucker Anderson to seal the win with five seconds to play. Anderson was a perfect 5 of 5 from the line Tuesday and finished with a season-high 16 points. His foul shots were the only points not scored by Martinez over the final 7:02 of the game.
"I knew Tuck would make those free throws ... he iced it," Calhoun said. "I have great confidence in him."
The loss was the third straight for Nevada, who was tabbed to finish third in the MW this season. The Wolf Pack have dropped five of their last seven and are now 1-5 in games decided by five points or fewer.
Joining Martinez and Anderson in double-figure scoring on New Year's Eve was Mason Falslev with 14 points. Falslev drew big praise from the coach as the reigning MW Player of the Week helped USU when it was struggling. Falslev led the Aggies in rebounding (6), assists (5) and in steals (5).
"Mason did carry us for a bit with his effort everywhere," Calhoun said. "I couldn't take him out of the game. He played 38 minutes and if we played another 20, he would have played 20. He was not coming out. He is one of the most competitive guys I've been around."
The Wolf Pack also had three players reach double figures in scoring. Nick Davidson led the way with 16 and also grabbed a game-best 12 rebounds. Justin McBride netted 11 points, and Xavier DuSell came off the bench to add 10 points. Tre Coleman dished out a game-high six assists.
The Wolf Pack came into the game as the No. 2 team in the country in 3-point shooting percentage at 41.7 percent. Nevada made 7 of 23 from beyond the arc for 30 percent.
For the third straight game Deyton Albury started in place of Drake Allen, who injured his shoulder on Dec. 17. Albury had eight points and three assists Tuesday night. Allen did play three minutes in the first half against the Wolf Pack, scoring a point.
It took the Aggies just 19 seconds to score to begin the game as Isaac Johnson drilled a 3-pointer off a pass from Aubin Gateretse. USU built an 11-6 lead five minutes into the game as Albury threw down a pass from Falslev and Anderson also got a dunk off a pass from Jordy Barnes.
USU hit three straight shots from long range to build its biggest lead of the opening half, 22-14, with 11:28 left before the break. Barnes capped the surge with a trey.
The Aggies would not score a field goal for the next five-and-a-half minutes. Nevada could not take full advantage, though, just outscoring USU 7-1 during that timespan to get within 23-21 with 7:51 left in the half.
Falslev ended the field goal drought with his second 3-pointer of the first 20 minutes to put the visitors up 27-21 with six minutes before halftime.
Then another scoring drought ensued for the Aggies. They would score just one point after the Falslev trey.
The Wolf Pack finished the first half on a 12-1 run to take their first lead and go into the break with a 33-28 advantage. Nevada turned 10 USU turnovers into 11 points.
"I thought in the first half we threw it all over the gym," Calhoun said. "We just really were out of sorts."
After trading a pair of buckets to begin the second half, the Aggies were able to score eight unanswered points. Falslev scored off a pass from Martinez, Anderson converted a three-point play, and Albury put USU back in front, 40-37, with a three-point play with 14:20 to play.
"It was our mentality on the defensive end and also execution," said Martinez when asked what changed from the first half. "We were more on point on offense. On defense, we needed to make sure they didn't get second opportunities."
The Aggies would stay in front the rest of the way, but could never fully shake the Wolf Pack. USU did match its largest lead of the game, 54-46, at the 6:10 mark of the second half on a Martinez bucket.
Nevada got within two twice, but each time Martinez was able to respond.
"It's been a joy in 2024," Calhoun said. "So now we will turn the page to 2025 and keep getting better."
GAME NOTES
USU began the day at No. 26 in the NET rankings, while Nevada checked in at No. 63. ... The Aggies shot 52.2 percent from the field and has now shot better than 50 percent in seven games this season. ... The Aggies shot 40 percent (8 of 20) from 3-point range, which is the third-best percentage this season and the best in the last 10 games. ... USU lost the rebound battle for just the fourth time this season, 31-27, and is 3-1 in those games. ... The Aggie bench outscored it counterparts for the 12th time this season, 27-22. ... USU had 10 steals, which is the ninth time this season it has had double digits. ... The Aggies have held nine of the last 10 opponents to less than 70 points. ... Ian Martinez scored in double figures for the 14th time this season and 49th time in his career. ... Mason Falslev scored in double figures for the 11th time this season and 31st time in his career. Falslev picked up a national Player of the Week honor on Tuesday from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for his efforts on Saturday at San Diego State. ... Tucker Anderson reached double-digit scoring for the 28th time in his career. ... Aubin Gateretse blocked a season-high three shots and matched his career high with two steals, which playing a season-high 24 minutes. ... The Aggies lead the all-time series with the Wolf Pack, 42-26.
UP NEXT
After three straight road games, the Aggies return back to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. They host Fresno State (4-10, 0-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs lost at home Tuesday to New Mexico, 103-89.