FRISCO, Texas (Interstat) — Utah State held off a second-half rally from VCU to secure an 80-77 win in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game Friday at Dr Pepper Arena. The Aggies improved to 2-0, while the Rams fell to 1-1.

Utah State built a 45-36 halftime lead behind a strong offensive start. VCU outscored the Aggies 41-35 after the break but could not complete the comeback. MJ Collins led Utah State with 22 points, while Mason Falslev added 18. Drake Allen facilitated the offense with nine assists. Nyk Lewis scored 19 points for VCU in the losing effort. The Aggies’ defense was key, forcing 18 turnovers and recording 14 steals. An announced crowd of 2,049 attended the neutral-site contest.