Aggie defense shuts down Utes, Bogut
The experienced play of forwards Nate Harris and Spencer Nelson was too much for the University of Utah to overcome Saturday afternoon in the Spectrum, as the Aggies handed the Utes a dominate 71-45 loss.
Nelson finished the game with 21 points and five assists, while Harris added 20 points and six rebounds.
Freshman Jaycee Carroll also contributed 18 points in the Aggies’ win over the Utes, three of which came on a long 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring to extend Utah State’s lead to 11 points in the second half.
“You know, I’ve had that happen to me so many times,” Stew Morrill said of Carroll’s shot. “It’s nice to have it happen on our side for a change … Jaycee has got really good range and again he’s a kid that doesn’t really worry about the rivalry. He doesn’t get nervous and all that.”
Carroll also gave Utah fits on defense during the first half. Rolling off a screen, Carroll drilled a 3-pointer for the first basket of the game and then made another from behind the arc with 15 minutes left in the half. He finished the game shooting 4-5 from three-point range and 6-8 overall.
“My mindset was to come out and be aggressive, play with confidence and act like you belong,” Carroll said. “It’s the same game just in a different arena, with different players and a different atmosphere. [It] just makes it all the more fun I guess.”
Going into Saturday’s game, Andrew Bogut, a 7-foot sophomore for Utah, was a big concern for the Aggies. But tight post defense held Bogut, who averages 17.8 points and almost 11 rebounds per contest, to 15 points.
“We threw a lot of guys at him and threw a lot of different looks at him,” Harris said. “We tried to man him a couple times. We tried to double him up a couple times. And then [we played] zone. With a great player like him you’re going to have to do some things in order to stop him.”
The 6-foot-7-inch Harris faced a different challenge offensively against Bogut. But, the majority of Harris’ 20 points came while he was being guarded by the Aussie Olympian.
“One thing we talked about is you’ve got to take the ball at him,” Harris said. “You can’t settle for fade away jump shots because he’ll block a couple of them.”
The first half was closely contested and Utah State led by just four, 32-28, going into the locker room. But the Ags used 82 percent shooting from the field and improved guard defense to propel themselves past the Utes for the win.
Marc Jackson, Utah’s starting point guard, scorched the Aggies during the first half for 13 points, shooting 3-3 from behind the 3-point line and 5-5 overall. Calvin Brown and David Pak held Jackson to only two more points, a pair of free throws, as Jackson 15 points.
“[Jackson’s] a good player,” Morrill said. “They’ve got some good athletes and some good players and he’s one of them. We just did a better job [defensively]. Calvin was one of the guys that had him a lot and that helped us. Cal’s just as quick and a good defender.”
Improved point guard play helped the Aggies on Saturday. Both Pak and Brown had four assists and only one turnover.
“Calvin Brown, what a fun deal that is to have a fifth year senior who hasn’t played a lot of basketball come in and give that kind of lift,” Morrill said. The Aggies added exclamation points at the end of the game with Nelson hitting his first 3-pointer of the year and Jason Williams coming up with a huge stuff against Bogut, sending the ball into the stands.
Utah State’s schedule still features two in-state games. The Aggies will play Weber State on Dec. 11 and BYU again in Provo on Dec. 18.
The Aggies, who traveled to Alaska earlier this season for a neutral-site tournament, will play its first true road game of the season against Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne Tuesday.
-kcaustin@cc.usu.edu
Utah State´s Nate Harris battles in the post with Utah´s Richard Chaney and Andrew Bogut. Harris finished with 20 points in the Ag´s 71-45 win over the Utes. (Photo by John Zsiray)
Nate Harris works inside against Ute center Andrew Bogut. Harris scored 20 points for the Ags. (Photo by John Zsiray)