Aggie men’s basketball outbattles Warriors
Returning home to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum usually means good things for the Utah State men’s basketball team.
Sophomore guard Preston Medlin scored 25 points in a win over an athletic and physical Hawaii team 77-72 on Thursday.
“We needed this win in the worst way,” USU head coach Stew Morrill said. “We scrapped and clawed and hung in there. We tried to give it away a little, there at the end, but I am pleased with how hard our guys played.”
Morrill was also pleased with how his team handled Hawaii’s defense.
“They played a variety of defenses — junk defenses, zone, man-to-man, box and one, triangle and two, one-two-two zone,” he said. “They just tried to totally get us out of rhythm with a variety of defenses. When you look at the stat sheet, everything was good for us except rebounding.”
USU and Hawaii traded leads through the first seven minutes, before the Aggies took the lead for good on a jumper from forward Ben Clifford. The freshman’s basket sparked a 13-2 run and USU led the remainder of the game.
Hawaii’s Zane Johnson, who averages a little more than 18 points a night since Western Athletic Conference play began, was a big concern for the Aggies, heading into the contest, but USU held the senior to nine points.
The Aggies had no answer for Hawaii junior center Vander Joaquim, who finished the game with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Hawaii junior forward Joston Thomas also chipped in a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
USU led by eight points at halftime, but came roaring out of the gates to begin the second half. A pair of free throws from senior forward Morgan Grim spurred a 14-8 run in the first four minutes of the second half to give the Aggies a 12-point lead.
USU’s largest lead of the night came with 11:42 to play as senior guard Brockeith Pane went coast-to-coast for a layup after Clifford blocked a layup attempt.
“I just try to go out there and be aggressive, especially on offense,” Clifford said. “I think that helped down the stretch.”
USU finished the night shooting 49 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the 3-point line. Hawaii shot 40 percent from the field and hit 3 of 17 from the 3-point line.
“We crushed them on the boards, but we just couldn’t hit shots — couldn’t hit a three,” Hawaii head coach Gib Arnold said. “We can’t go 3 of 17 on the road and win games. You’ve got to hit shots against a saggy defense.”
– ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu