Scoring woes, injuries taking toll on Utah State Aggies

Utah State forward Alphonso Anderson, left, looks to pass the ball as San Diego State guard KJ Feagin (10) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in Logan, Utah. | AP Photo/Eli Lucero

LOGAN — They say that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. But the Utah State Aggies clearly brought back some of what plagued them in last Wednesday’s blowout loss to UNLV.

Facing one of the best defensive teams in the country in undefeated and 13th-ranked San Diego State Saturday night, Utah State struggled offensively for the second straight contest, leading to a 77-68 loss in front of a near-capacity crowd at the Spectrum.

“I’m proud of our effort; I thought we played our tails off. We just missed some good looks. Things just didn’t fall,” USU head coach Craig Smith said of the Aggies’ first loss at home since a 78-77 setback to Fresno State on Jan. 9, 2019.

“It’s the first time in 52 games that we’ve lost back-to-back games, so it was certainly a tough week for the Aggies. But we have no time to feel sorry for ourselves. It should hurt. It should be painful. But when you play hard and give it everything you’ve got it, sometimes it still doesn’t turn out how you want it to be.”

Coming on the heels of their 70-53 loss at UNLV, the Aggies (2-2 in the Mountain West, 13-4 overall) have now lost consecutive games for the first time in Smith’s two-year tenure as head coach. Although the energy and effort was certainly improved from the game in Las Vegas, Utah State’s shooting wasn’t much better on its home floor against the first-place Aztecs (4-0, 15-0).

After connecting on just 32.7% of their field-goal attempts at the Thomas & Mack Center, the Aggies shot 42.6% Saturday night, including a 6-for-23 performance from beyond the arc. Senior guard Sam Merrill (26 points) and sophomore center Neemias Queta (15 points) were the only USU players to score in double figures, and the Aggie bench contributed a mere eight points and six rebounds.

“We’ve been inconsistent, there’s no doubt,” Smith said of USU’s offense this season. “We don’t have a ton of playmaking, and so the ball really has to move for us to make those kinds of things happen. And our transition game hasn’t been as good lately.”

The collective bad health of the Aggies might have something to do with USU’s scoring woes. Although the team didn’t want to use it as an excuse for Saturday’s loss, injuries are starting to take their toll, beyond the most obvious of Queta’s serious knee injury and junior center Kuba Karwowski’s appendectomy. Most notably, Merrill has been sick off and on the past few weeks, while also dealing with a sprained ankle most of the season, as well as a more recent lower leg injury.

“Sam’s dealing with some health issues right now,” Smith said of the 2019 Mountain West Player of the Year. “About eight days ago he had an injury that hindered him a little bit here. That guy’s just so tough.”

Merrill, who didn’t play in USU’s 129-61 rout of NAIA Eastern Oregon on Dec. 28, took just six shots during the loss at UNLV and went 0 for 4 from 3-point range. Against the Aztecs, the Bountiful High product went 8 for 21 from the floor, 3 for 12 from 3-point range and 7 for 8 from free-throw line while playing a game-high 38 minutes.

It’s hard to imagine where the Aggies, who trailed the Aztecs by as many as 16 points in the second half, would have been had Queta not been able to play. The 7-foot center from Portugal missed USU’s first nine games of the season after suffering a knee injury during an international tournament over the summer, then played just 72 minutes over the next five games before going knee-to-knee with a Florida Gator on Dec. 21.

Queta didn’t play against Eastern Oregon or UNLV, and, according to Smith, wasn’t cleared to play against San Diego State until an hour and a half before game time. The 2019 Mountain West Freshman and Defensive Player, who started his first home game of the year, totaled 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks while playing a season-high 30 minutes.

“Neemie hadn’t really done anything until three days ago, so this was a last-second deal where he got cleared today,” Smith said of Queta’s much-anticipated second return. “For him to get cleared and then have the mental fortitude to roll with it, I thought was huge. And it obviously made a huge impact on the game.”

“Neemie’s really, really good, and I think sometimes people forget the kind of impact that guy has on our team.”

While the Aggies had hoped for a repeat of their big victory over No. 12 Nevada last year in the Spectrum, the Aztecs showed why the are currently first in the NCAA’s NET rankings, playing spectacular defense while making clutch plays and huge shots whenever Utah State threatened to overtake them. The Aggies, who had won 15 straight home games, trailed 34-27 at halftime, and were never able to get closer than seven points down the stretch after trailing by 16 points with just over 13 minutes remaining.

“We found a lot of comfort in the high ball screen, and it was good for us,” SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher noted. “Our kids executed. The No. 1 word on our board was trust. Trust yourself, trust your teammates, trust your coaches, and you’re going to have good results.”

San Diego State remains as one of two unbeaten teams in the country following its win at the Spectrum, and a road victory by Auburn (13-0) at Mississippi State. The Aztecs, who played without two key defensive players in center Nathan Mensah (respiratory illness) and forward Aguek Arop (shoulder injury), will host the Aggies on Feb. 1 at Viejas Arena.

Utah State returns to game action Tuesday night on the road at Air Force (1-2, 7-8).

“I think we played good. San Diego State just played better,” Queta said. “We just have to take our hats off to them. They hit big shots whenever they needed to.”

“But I think we’re going to keep on climbing. We’re just going to get better with these losses, and I think we’re going to grow from them.”

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2SW7o2o