LOGAN — Corey Camper Jr. couldn’t have been a happier “Camper” at the time.
With 12:37 left in the second half, the Nevada guard buried a 3-pointer from the corner, then slowly turned towards Utah State’s student section with a big grin while prominently displaying three fingers after staking the Wolf Pack to a 44-40 advantage.
But that four-point lead would be the high-water mark for Camper and Nevada Wednesday night at the Spectrum as the 23rd-ranked Aggies took control of the game over the final 12 minutes, leaving no trace of a potential upset by the Pack by the end of the contest.
“It was obviously a tough game. Credit to Nevada because they were ready for us, and no buckets came easy,” USU junior guard Mason Falslev said after the Aggies’ 71-62 victory. “But you know, we got it done, and that’s all that matters. It was very physical out there.”
Falslev led the way for Utah State (15-1 overall, 6-0 in the Mountain West), scoring the Aggies’ first seven points of the game on his way to a season-high 26 points. The Cache Valley native went 9 for 14 from the field, 2 for 4 from 3-point range and 6 for 6 from the free-throw line while logging a game-high 39 minutes.
“He’s really what college athletic is all about, right?” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said of Falslev. “Back in the day, kids valued wearing the jersey, and the university really meant something as they grew each year with the fan base. And I’m so proud of our donors and all of the people who stepped up and made sure that we kept him in town because he deserves to have his number retired.
“I’ve said that numerous times. He’s on pace to do that, and he’s on of the elite players here that’s ever worn the uniform.”
Wednesday’s game was the first since the Aggies managed to slide into both Top 25 polls for the first time this season, and buoyed by a spirited sellout crowd of 10,270, Utah State extended its winning streak to eight games. While USU’s 71 points was its lowest scoring output of the year outside of its 74-61 loss at South Florida, Calhoun made it very clear that the Aggies’ defense was primary reason for the victory.
The Wolf Pack (12-5, 4-2) shot just 34.4% from the field — the lowest field-goal percentage for a USU opponent this season — while going 7 for 16 from 3-point range and committing 14 turnovers. The 62 points was a season-low for Nevada, which had won eight of its last nine games coming into Wednesday’s showdown.
“Everybody should admire this team’s determination,” said Calhoun, whose team racked up nine steals and season-high eight blocks. “The story tonight was our defense, right? We held a really good team to 62 points when we had a bad night. We couldn’t have done that last year, so we’ve made a lot of strides.”
The Aggies ended up shooting 44.9%, including 7 of 21 from beyond the arc and 20 of 24 from the free-throw line. Senior guard MJ Collins Jr. was the only other Aggie besides Falslev to score in double figures for the home team, but USU’s leading scorer at 20.5 points per game was definitely not himself, going 3 for 9 from the field over 33 minutes.
“I thought MJ was a little antsy tonight,” Calhoun pointed out. “... He kind of chased the ball, and you can’t do that. But that’s the first time he’s done that, and we’ll correct that tomorrow.”
Nevada got 13 points and 11 rebounds from the reigning Mountain West Player of the Week, sophomore forward Elijah Price, and 14 points from Camper as well as 11 from senior point guard Tayshawn Comer.
But what kept the Wolf Pack in the game was their rebounding. Although Nevada ultimately ended up winning the rebounding battle by only a 39-34 margin, in the first half the Pack pulled down 12 offensive boards — more than their season average for an entire game.
The Aggies’ effort on the glass greatly improved in the second half, with Nevada totaling just four offensive rebounds in the second half. And despite all of those offensive boards, Steve Alford’s squad totaled only three second-chance points for the contest.
“The ball was pinging around,” Falslev said. “But we were fighting for it. And in all honesty, while I think they did win the rebounding battle, we had a good second half and tried to stop them from getting offensive rebounds.”
One of USU’s seven offensive rebounds came with just under 10 minutes left when senior forward Zach Keller tipped out Drake Allen’s missed free throw to Falslev, who promptly snared it, drove into the lane and kicked out to Collins on the wing. Collins’ second 3-pointer of the night completed a 10-0 run by the Aggies over three minutes that completely changed the game following Camper’s trey.
Nevada, which trailed 29-23 at halftime, totaled just four field goals after Camper staked the visitors to a four-point lead with 12:37 left in the second half, and the final score represented USU’s largest lead of the game.
“That’s one of the best offenses in the country and obviously one of the best teams in the country, ranked 23rd in the AP Poll, so we knew we were going to have our hands full,” Nevada assistant coach Jarod Lucas said. “We tried to mix things up just because of how potent that offense is. They lead the conference in at least five to seven offensive stats. Scoring, shooting percentage, they’re No. 2 in the country in field goal percentage. We tried to slow them down but they obviously got the best of this deal.”