Utah State rally downs Denver
The lack of confidence that plagued the Utah State Aggies (5-1) against Northeastern disappeared Wednesday night against the Denver Pioneers (1-6). Senior guard Brockeith Pane grabbed nine rebounds and scored 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 shooting from 3-point land to help lead the Aggies over the Pioneers, 61-53. Aside from their sluggish start to the second half, the Aggies torched the nets on offense while shutting down the Pioneers offensive flow on the other end.
“There was a 5-minute breakdown in the second half, but other than that I thought we did enough to win,” Aggie head coach Stew Morrill said. “It wasn’t perfect. We just made enough shots and plays to get a road win. We’ll take it and go forward from here.”
Morrill and his coaching staff were very concerned about the Pioneers’ complex Princeton system, and the Aggies struggled greatly with it.
“They are hard to play,” Morrill said. “It’s hard to describe. Coach Duryea said, ‘it’s like going to the dentist to play them.’ There is some truth in that. They run you around. They run some good stuff. They are just a difficult system to play against.”
Senior forward Tai Wesley struggled the most against the Pioneers, finishing with seven points in 27 minutes of play. The Pioneers did a lot of switching in the post and sometimes guards ended up guarding Wesley, causing the senior forward to commit a game-high seven turnovers.
The Aggies were able to get strong performances from the back court to counteract Wesley’s off-night. Senior guard Brian Green scored a game-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor and 2-of-4 shooting from the 3-point line in 29 minutes of play.
“He’s getting as many minutes as starters,” Morrill said of Green. “He’s like a starter, but I love him coming off the bench because he just comes in and gives us offense and energy of the bench. You know what you’re going to get from Brian (Green). He’ll make a mistake or two, but not from lack of trying. He just busts his tail out there and we love having him.”
The Aggies stretched out their six-point halftime lead to 11 off a trey from senior forward Pooh Williams less than two minutes into the second half, but the Pioneers responded with a 12-0 run to take their second lead of the game.
The Pioneers struggled from inside the 3-point line and shot only 37 percent, but were able to find their range from beyond the arc as they hit 11-of-22 from 3-point range. The Aggies shut down the Pioneers’ two leading scorers, junior guard Brian Stafford and sophomore forward Chase Hallam, but senior guard Kyle Lewis and freshman guard Chris Udofia came up big off the bench with 13 and 10 points respectively.
“When we got a little bit of a lead I think we relaxed a little bit,” senior forward Matt Formisano said. “Give them credit; they hit some really good shots. They shoot ball really well from 3.”
Formisano, who doesn’t generally play much, is originally from Centennial, Colo., and Morrill gave him the chance to play in front of family and friends. Formisano took advantage of the opportunity, finishing with two points and four rebounds in 13 minutes of play.
“I loved it,” Formisano said. “My whole career I was wishing that I would get a chance to play in front of my family and friends. It was a great experience. I had a lot of friends and family here. More importantly, I was just glad that we won. That was great.”
The Aggies now prep for what might be their toughest opponent of the season when they face the No. 14 Georgetown Hoyas in Washington, D.C. The Hoyas beat the No. 8 Missouri Tigers on the road in overtime on Tuesday, 111-102.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Formisano said. “Those guys are really good. They are athletic. They are talented. They’re deep. We’re excited and we’re going to be ready to go. We’re going to come out and play Aggie basketball and just enjoy it and play solid against those guys.”
–ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu