LOGAN, Utah — One night after No. 16 Utah flexed its muscles to beat Cal State Monterey Bay in the exhibition opener for both teams, the Otters bounced back in a big way, upending Mountain West Conference contender Utah State 77–60 Friday night in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aggies were picked to finish third in the MWC preseason poll.

The Otters trailed just once in this game, and that was 1–0 on a Utah State free throw on the Aggies' opening possession. CSUMB got the lead to double digits midway through the first half and the Aggies didn't get it back under 10 points until the final three minutes of the game.

"That's a good basketball team we beat tonight," said CSUMB Head Coach Rob Bishop (@Coach_RBishop). "Every time they made a big play, we came back and made one of our own. I'm so excited to see what this team can do as the season goes on."

Ryan Nitz (Rancho Cucamonga/Chaffey College) led four Otters in double figures with 17 points. He also pulled down a team–high five rebounds. Alex Fertig (Fresno/Buchanan HS) added 14 points, four assists and three steals.

The Otters finished the exhibition portion of their schedule at 1–1. The slate gets wiped clean next week when they head up Highway 101 to Dominican University for the Pac West/CCAA Conference challenge Nov. 13–14. The Otters will open against Academy of Art Friday at 5:30 p.m.