Ag basketball thumps CSN
Cal State Northridge came out in a box-and-one defense Thursday night, focusing its efforts on stopping Aggie guard Jaycee Carroll.
A streaking Carroll promptly peeled off a screen and hit a 3-pointer with two defenders in his face. He finished the night with 22 points, leading the Ags to a 77-57 win over the Matadors.
“It didn’t seem to bother Jaycee that much,” Aggie head coach Stew Morrill said.
Morrill said Northridge’s athleticism and defensive looks disrupt most team’s game plans and, on the night, the Aggies turned the ball over 18 times.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Morrill said. “But the end was a good result.”
After getting into foul trouble early in the first half, Spencer Nelson came on strong for the Ags in the second and finished the game with 17 points, 15 of which came after the break.
With Nelson on the bench, center Cass Matheus stepped up big for USU. Matheus finished the game with 13 points and three rebounds.
Junior Nate Harris was the fourth Aggie in double figures Thursday. Harris added 12 points to a career-high 15 rebounds in 33 minutes of play.
“It’s about time,” Harris said. “I’m trying to be more active on the boards. It felt good.”
Forward Jason Williams scored two points in the first half before suffering an ankle injury. Williams did not return.
“It’s swollen,” Morrill said. “We’ll know more when we get it treated and X-rayed.”
Playing in the Spectrum for the first time in more than two weeks, players said it was nice to be home.
“This was the most excited we’ve been to play in a long time,” Carroll said.
For the Matadors, Ian Boylan came out on fire, scoring nine of the team’s first 11 points. Boylan didn’t stop in the second half and finished with 19 points.
Shooting 6-11 from the charity stripe, CSN’s Eto Onyenegecha added 14 points, but no other Matador finished with more than six points.
With the win, the Aggies moved up to second place in the Big West Conference.
Still, Thursday’s win was almost a warm-up for Saturday’s game against No. 24 Pacific. The Tigers come into the Spectrum unbeaten in conference play, having defeated the Aggies in double-overtime Jan. 15.
“It’s a big game,” Morrill said. “We’re going to have to play well to even have a chance.”
With signs on the Spectrum doors warning fans that Saturday’s game is sold-out, players and coaches are expecting a heavy-weight matchup.
“It’s going to be a great college basketball game on Saturday,” Harris said.
-acf@cc.usu.edu