KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sophomore Mason Falslev scored 25 points to match his career high for the second straight game, adding 12 rebounds for his first double-double, and Utah State defeated Iowa 77-69 on Friday night in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Falslev sank 9 of 15 shots from the floor, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, for the Aggies (5-0).
Ian Martinez totaled 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals for Utah State. Tucker Anderson pitched in with 10 points, five rebounds and five steals off the bench.
Brock Harding led the Hawkeyes (5-1) with 19 points. Owen Freeman finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Payton Sandfort scored 14, but he made only 4 of 18 shots — including 1 for 13 from beyond the arc.
Falslev had two baskets in the first two minutes and Utah State grabbed the lead and held it until Freeman scored on a layup to put Iowa up 13-12 midway through the half. The Hawkeyes had a six-point lead late but Falslev's tip-in with 5 seconds left pulled the Aggies within 37-33 at intermission.
Iowa maintained its lead in the second half until Falslev's layup with 14:46 remaining gave Utah State a 47-46 lead. Harding answered with a 3-pointer for the Hawkeyes, and they played with the lead until Martinez sandwiched a jumper and a 3-pointer around two free throws by Falslev to give Utah State a 58-53 lead with 10:02 left to play. The Aggies never trailed again.
Iowa was trying to win six in a row to begin the season for the first time since the 2021-22 season when it won seven straight.
The Hawkeyes will host South Carolina Upstate on Tuesday.
The Aggies travel to Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Thursday and open the NIT Season Tip-Off against St. Bonaventure.
Iowa forward Even Brauns celebrates after making a basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Utah State,. Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in a Major League Baseball game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians.
Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler's staff in 2020, becoming the majors' first full-time female coach.
Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt — the AL Manager of the Year.
With Cleveland, the 34-year-old Nakken will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa.
“Nak is a systematic executor of processes and a thoughtful communicator,” Correa said via text message Friday night. "When you combine her skill set with the unique experiences she’s had over the course of her career, it makes her a perfect fit for our player development system. I’m really looking forward to being her teammate again.”
Nakken's exact duties are still being determined. She became a first-time mom welcoming daughter Austyn earlier this year and didn't travel full-time on manager Bob Melvin's staff.
"We thank Alyssa Nakken for her incredible contributions to the San Francisco Giants and for trailblazing a path for women in sports,” the Giants said in a statement on Friday. "Her leadership, dedication, and passion for the game have inspired countless individuals, and her impact has been truly transformative for the Giants organization and the baseball community.
“As she embarks on this exciting new chapter in her career, we have no doubt that she’ll continue to inspire and achieve great things. We wish her and her family nothing but the best.”
Nakken is the second on-field female coach hired by the Guardians. In 2023, Cleveland brought in Amanda Kamekona as its hitting development coach for its year-round training academy in Goodyear, Arizona.
Last season, she was an assistant hitting coach at Double-A Akron. Kamekona was twice a third-team All-American at UCLA after transferring from Cal State Fullerton.
AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - San Francisco Giants assistant baseball coach Alyssa Nakken speaks to a reporter in San Francisco, July 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe, File)
