LOGAN — Prior to the Aggies' showdown with San Diego State Tuesday night, members of Utah State's athletic department tossed wrapped sandwiches into the student section at the Spectrum.
But that was a mere appetizer.
The main course was a hungry defensive effort by the home team that led to the Aztecs shooting just 21.4 percent in the first half, 35.2 percent for the game and a 70-54 victory for the Aggies.
"Tonight was a fun night. It was great to play out in the Spectrum in front of basically a sold-out crowd," USU senior forward Quinn Taylor said. "Any time you can get that fan support, it really boosts us. I feel like we came out with an edge and played 40 minutes with that."
The win was the first for Utah State (23-6, 13-3) over San Diego State (18-10, 10-5) since the Aggies joined the Mountain West Conference, finally ending a pesky 11-game losing streak to the Aztecs.
Utah State's fifth straight victory also pulled the second-place Aggies even closer to first-place Nevada in the Mountain West standings. The 12th-ranked Wolf Pack (25-2, 12-2) host in-state rival UNLV (15-12, 9-6) on Wednesday, then travel to Utah to take on the Aggies Saturday night at the Spectrum.
“It’s a great victory for us, and I want to credit all of the Aggie fans for coming out tonight and supporting us. It was almost a sellout, and their presence was felt, no doubt about it. Energy is just so contagious, and it just willed our guys.”
Utah State head coach Craig Smith
That contest is already a sellout — Utah State's first of the season — and the atmosphere is certain to be even more electric than it was on Tuesday. The spirited crowd of 8,160 clearly played a role in the Aztecs' offensive struggles.
"It's a great victory for us, and I want to credit all of the Aggie fans for coming out tonight and supporting us," said USU head coach Craig Smith. "It was almost a sellout, and their presence was felt, no doubt about it. Energy is just so contagious, and it just willed our guys.
"It's just amazing the impact a crowd like that has on winning. … It was certainly electric, and our guys really fed off of that."
Buoyed by their home crowd, the Aggies prevailed over the Aztecs, who had won five straight games, despite some shooting woes of their own. Although Utah State shot 42.9 percent from the field, the Aggies connected on just 4 of 21 3-point attempts with leading scorer Sam Merrill going just 1 for 9 from long distance.
Merrill, who went 6 for 20 from the floor but 6 for 6 from the free-throw line, still managed to score a game-high 19 points while playing the entire game for the second straight contest. Smith said he asked Merrill three times in second half if he wanted to come out for a rest, but each time the junior guard declined, despite drawing contact and hitting the floor on seemingly every offensive possession.
"Sam's a warrior, and I knew we had a day off tomorrow," Smith said. "And he's so smart with his body; he's good about that kind of stuff. You worry about him, but when it's crunch time you've got to roll your guys out there and have them go make plays."
Taylor (13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists) notched his third double-double of the season while playing what Smith said was his best game of the year thanks, in a large part, to seven offensive rebounds. And the forward from Houston's performance was made even more crucial considering that starting center Neemias Queta was in foul trouble practically the entire game and logged only 16 total minutes.
Freshman Justin Bean also played a critical role, coming off the bench to start the second half in place of Queta and scoring Utah State's first 6 points after intermission. The 6-foot-7 forward from Oklahoma finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Diogo Brito also provided a lift off of the bench with 12 points.
Point guard Abel Porter contributed 10 rebounds, helping Utah State win the battle of the boards 44 to 30.
San Diego State's two leading scorers were sophomore guard Jordan Schakel (15 points) and sophomore forward Matt Mitchell (12 points). The Aztecs' two leading scorers coming into the game, sophomore forward Jalen McDaniels (3 for 10, 7 points) and senior guard Devin Watson (2 for 14, 5 points) finished 21 points below their combined average.
"They've got so many weapons, so to be able to hold like that to 35 percent with only seven offensive rebounds was the difference in the game," Smith said.
After trailing by 4 points very early in the contest, Utah State countered with 8 straight points to go up 10-6 and never gave up the lead after that. While they struggled to connect from the perimeter — USU missed eight of its first nine 3-point attempts — San Diego State couldn't do anything offensive, going 2 for 12 from the field to open the game.
The Aggies, who led by as many as 12 points in the first half, took a 31-21 lead into halftime and never let the Aztecs get any closer than 6 points in the second half. After picking up three fouls in the first half, Queta sat out to start the second half, and soon after returning, found himself on the bench again.
The Portugal native taunted an Aztec player after scoring in the post, leaving him to sit down with 12 minutes to go and Utah State up 47-37. Surprisingly, Queta never got back on the floor, as the Aggies went on a 13-3 run after their big man went out and Smith stayed with Bean and Taylor on the frontline.
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2Nx33xU
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