Utah State hoping to keep rolling after Colorado State win

Utah State guard Sam Merrill (5) takes a shot as Colorado State forward Adam Thistlewood (31) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Logan, Utah, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (Eli Lucero/The Herald Journal via AP) | Eli Lucero/The Herald Journal via AP

LOGAN — About a minute after he had tied the score at 52-52 with a putback basket, Utah State’s Alphonso Anderson found himself in the open court trying to chase down Colorado State guard Kris Martin.

One of the Rams’ numerous super-quick perimeter players, Martin had just stolen an Aggie inbounds pass and was eyeing an easy go-ahead basket at the other end of the floor.

“He had a few steps on me after he got the steal,” Anderson recalled after USU’s 77-61 victory Saturday night at the Spectrum. “I heard some on their bench yelling ‘Dunk it!’ And I was like, Nah, he’s not getting a dunk.

While Martin may or may not have realized that USU’s 6-foot-6 junior forward was closing in on him, the 5-10 senior elected not to go for a slam as he neared the basket.

“He ended up going for a layup, and I was able to get a hand on it,” Anderson said with a smile. “It was just about staying in the play and trying to get the ball.”

Even though the blocked ball ended up going out of bounds, Anderson’s hustle play energized the home crowd and the 9,791 fans at the Spectrum remained extremely loud throughout the remainder of the contest. It took about three minutes before that 52-52 tie was finally broken via a deep jumper by USU guard Sam Merrill, but spurred on by their fans, the Aggies dominated when the game was on the line, outscoring the Rams 25-9 over the final 8:41 of the game.

“It’s a great win for the Aggies,” USU head coach Craig Smith said of the Aggies’ fourth-straight win over the Rams. “It’s the second-hottest team in the league, with San Diego State being the hottest, but these guys had won five in a row and seven out of eight since their double-overtime win at Tulsa. They’re a good team.”

Now halfway through conference play, Utah State (5-4 in the Mountain West, 16-6 overall) is in a four-way tie for fourth-place in the Mountain West standings with Colorado State (5-4, 14-8), Boise State (5-4, 13-8) and New Mexico (5-4, 16-6). It’s certainly not where most people expected the unanimous preseason favorites to be at this time of the season, but the Aggies are still 11-1 at home and have won three out of their last four games after dropping three in a row for the first time in Smith’s two-year tenure.

After letting a 14-point lead slip away in the first half, Saturday’s game was shaping up to be another classic battle with the Rams, with seven ties and neither team able to pull away by more than three points in first 11 minutes of the second half. But unlike last year’s conference title-clinching, 100-96 overtime win at Fort Collins, the Aggies managed to lock down defensively (CSU shot just 34.4% in the second half) while seemingly knocking down everything (USU shot 68% in the second half).

Senior guard Merrill had a whole lot to do with that, abusing the Rams’ defense for 28 points on Saturday after totaling 54 points in USU’s two wins over Colorado State during the 2018-19 season.

“Sam was unbelievable. Sam Merrill was doing Sam Merrill things,” Smith said.

“Boy, he was in a groove. His shot looked smooth, and he was just making plays. And that stat line: 28 points on 15 attempts, five assists, zero turnovers and the ball was in his hands an awful lot.”

Sophomore center Neemias Queta had a good-and-bad night, totaling 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while also committing six of USU’s 14 turnovers, many on passes that were nowhere near their intended targets. But Queta did come up with three blocks and helped limit Colorado State’s best player, senior center Nico Carvacho, to 14 points and nine rebounds.

Utah State forward Justin Bean (10.4 rpg), who came into the game just barely second to Carvacho (10.5 rpg) in the Mountain West’s rebounding battle, pulled down nine boards, as well, while also scoring 13 points. Anderson, who had been quiet lately, played just 11 minutes but scored eight points on 4 of 6 shooting.

“It was a good win. At the end of the day, we took care of business at home, going 2-0 on the week,” Smith said. “Now we have another quick turnaround with a Tuesday game on the road and need to get ready to go to battle.”

The Aggies will play two games away from home this week, taking on the worst team in the conference (Wyoming) and one of the best teams in the country (San Diego State) on their home floors. Utah State plays the Cowboys (0-9, 5-16) in Laramie on Tuesday, then the Aggies travel to Southern California for a dramatic change of weather and a drastic change of opponent when they face the No. 4 Aztecs (9-0, 20-0) on Saturday.

Utah State has yet to play Wyoming this season, while San Diego State handed the Aggies their only home loss of the season, a 77-68 setback on Jan. 4.

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