Logan • Sam Merrill poured in 29 points and Utah State handed San Jose State its seventh-straight Mountain West Conference loss, 103-73 on Wednesday night.
Utah State now has won 23 of the last 24 games with San Jose State and has beaten the Spartans 27 straight times in Logan. The Spartans now have lost 11 straight, including a double overtime loss at Air Force on a last-second shot Saturday.
Merrill took a long in-bounds pass just across the midcourt line and hit a long 3 at the buzzer to give Utah State a 51-33 lead at the break. He knocked down 5 of 9 from beyond the arc while dishing eight assists.
The Aggies were 35 of 72 from the floor, including 11 of 37 from long range.
Freshman Brock Miller came into the game shooting 50 percent from long range and finished with 14 points after launching 14 3-point attempts, connecting on just 3. Neemias Queta finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds for Utah State (15-5, 5-2).
Michael Steadman had 20 points for the Spartans (3-16, 0-7).
Utah Valley 79, California Baptist 62 • In Orem, Jake Toolson scored 17 points on five 3-pointers and Baylee Steele had 16 points with 12 rebounds as Utah Valley downed California Baptist for its third straight win.
Isaiah White added 15 points for the Wolverines (16-7, 5-3 Western Athletic Conference) and TJ Washington had 11.
The Wolverines took a 16-13 lead on a Toolson 3-pointer midway through the first half and followed up with a hail of 3s by Toolson, White and Washington to help stretch it to 37-18 at the break.
California Baptist fought back early in the second half, closing to 46-40 with 12:58 to play. Steele answered with two free throws and a 3-point play to push it to 51-40 with 11:18 left. White scored six points and Toolson added a 3-pointer in the final seven minutes to help keep the Wolverines on top.
Milan Acquaah scored 20 points with six rebounds and seven assists for the Lancers (10-10, 2-5). Zach Pirog and Mikey Henn each added 11 points.
