SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Preston Medlin scored 18 points as Utah State pulled away late to beat UC Santa Barbara Saturday night.
Utah State (3-0) used an 11-4 to jump out to a 39-29 halftime lead. UC Santa Barbara (2-1) responded, opening the half on an 8-0 run to take the 40-39 lead with 17:09 remaining.
After trading a few buckets, the Aggies ran off a 13-2 run, grabbing a 56-46 lead that they would never relinquish. Medlin scored five of the 13 while Spencer Butterfield added two 3-pointers.
The Gauchos kept chipping away, eventually cutting the lead to 67-64 on a Michael Bryson layup with 30 seconds left. However, Utah State was clutch at the line, and Ben Clifford hit all four of the team’s free throws to ice the game.
