Utah State men's basketball captured the Myrtle Beach Invitational championship after posting a 73-70 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners on Sunday afternoon.
USU senior forward Justin Bean was named MVP of the tournament after recording game highs of 24 points and 19 rebounds, but it was fellow senior Brock Miller that turned the tide for the Aggies at the end of the game.
With Utah State trailing 66-64 with just over two minutes to play, Miller knocked down a three, one of four for the senior guard during the game, to give the Aggies a 67-66 lead. Utah State never trailed from there, as Miller hit another triple with 27 seconds left and free throws by Bean down the stretch iced the victory for the Aggies.
Miller finished the game with 16 points and was followed by senior forward Brandon Horvath with 13 and senior guard RJ Eytle-Rock with 10. Utah State recorded season highs at the free throw line, connecting on 20-of-21 from the charity stripe.
Utah State trailed in the opening half until a 3-point basket by Horvath with 11:30 left gave the Aggies their first lead of the opening stanza, 16-14. Back-to-back turnovers by USU pushed the Sooners ahead 28-26 with 3:32 until the break, until free throws over the next two possessions by Utah State put the Aggies back up two, 30-28 with 1:36 on the clock.
USU took a 32-30 lead going into the half following a layup by Bean.
Oklahoma opened the second half with four unanswered points and built a lead of as much as seven, 57-50, with just over nine minutes to play. The Sooners' advantage held throughout the second half until Miller's triple gave the Aggies the 67-66 advantage with 1:43 to play.
Utah State returns to the court on Saturday, hosting UT Arlington on Nov. 27, at 7 p.m., inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.