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Logan • UC Irvine was just too big for Utah State.

So was a second-half deficit.

Senior guard Alex Young scored 20 points and 7-foot-6 center Mamdou Ndiaye contributed 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots Saturday night, leading the Anteaters to a 73-63 victory at the Spectrum.

The Aggies trailed by 19 points with 9:19 remaining. They got as close as 62-59 on Lew Evans' 3-point shot with 3:28 left, but Ndiaye dominated down the stretch and Utah State failed to complete what would have been a remarkable comeback.

Darius Perkins scored a season-high 17 points to lead the Aggies, who lost their second straight game and dropped to 5-3 this season. Julion Pearre went 5-for-7 from the 3-point line and finished with 15.

"We came out too slow," Perkins said. "… Defensively, we have to pick it up if we don't want to keep getting killed."

Calling the loss "disappointing in a lot of ways," Utah State coach Tim Duryea credited Ndiaye for helping the Anteaters shoot 48 percent.

"They are not easy to deal with with the big guy," Duryea said. "… You are probably going to play against a 7-6 guy once in your career, if ever, [and] that's how they compromise your defense. It starts right there. You can't play him one-on-one."

After falling behind, 56-37, Utah State used a 22-6 run to give itself a chance. But Young followed Evans' 3-pointer with a layup and, after Grayson Moore made the first of two free throws, Ndiaye put the game away.

He hit one free throw and missed the second, but Young got inside for the rebound. Ndiaye then capped a well-executed possession with a dunk, making it 67-60 with 1:02 remaining.

"We made it a one-possession game," Duryea said, "but made a couple of critical defensive mistakes.

Utah State struggled to contain Ndiaye in the opening minutes. He scored the Anteaters' first six points — including two on a dunk and two more on a pair of free throws — and UC Irvine took an 8-6 lead.

"I thought they came in and played a very poised offensive game," Duryea said."

The Aggies grabbed an 11-10 lead on Jalen Moore's layup with 14:05 left in the half, but their offense stopped functioning over the next 9 1/2 minutes. During that stretch, Utah State converted one of 15 possessions. It had more turnovers (four) than points (three) and the Anteaters built a 21-14 lead.

"We turned the ball over a few times and that's how they got away from us," Duryea said.

The Aggies trailed, 28-23, at halftime. They shot 10-for-29 from the field in the first half, meaning they were 6-for-25 after a 4-for-4 start.

"We stood too much," Duryea said. "Didn't move the ball … [and] didn't known down enough open shots."

Email: luhm@sltrib.com

Twitter: @sluhm —

Storylines

R Alex Young scores 20 points to lead UC Irvine to a 73-63 victory over Utah State.

• The Anteaters' 7-foot-6 center, Mamadou Ndiaye, adds 17 points and 14 rebounds.

• Darius Perkins scores 17 points for Utah State, which drops to 5-3 this season.