Streak snapped
All good things have endings.
And with a 64-60 loss to Pacific Saturday night, the Utah State men’s basketball team saw an end to its 17-game winning streak, its first Top 25 AP ranking in 33 years, its undefeated record in conference play and its sole possession of first place in the Big West.
Following the upset, the Ags dropped from their No. 19 ranking out of the Top 25 of the AP writer’s poll Monday. However, USU remains ranked in the ESPN/USA Today coach’s poll, falling two spots from No. 23 to No. 25.
“I guess they just wanted it more,” said Aggie center Mike Ahmad. “That’s what basketball’s all about, who wants it more and who’s going to fight for it. We fought. They fought harder.”
The Ags, who at times held double-digit leads in the second half, faltered down the stretch and were held scoreless for the game’s final 3:25.
Pacific’s Miah Davis converted four free-throw attempts in the last 30 seconds of the game to cement the win for the Tigers. Davis finished the game with 18 points, three rebounds and three assists.
“We played 35 minutes of good basketball,” said Utah State Head Coach Stew Morrill. “We couldn’t make plays in the last five minutes. We handed them the game.”
After falling behind 2-0 in the opening minutes of the contest, USU went on a 20-6 run and at the half the Aggies held a 37-29
advantage.
But Pacific would rally behind 15 second-half points from Davis. Christian Maraker and Tyler Newton also added 12 points for the Tigers and Tom Cockle contributed 10 points and two rebounds.
“They feel like they can drive on anyone in the league,” Morrill said. “We couldn’t stop them off the dribble.”
The Tigers also employed a zone defense in the second half, something Ahmad said flustered the Aggie attack and caused them to lose patience. Ahmad finished the game with 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.
“Ahmad played really well,” Morrill said. “He probably deserved more minutes, but you’re going to go with the guys that got you to the dance.”
“I wanted this win,” Ahmad said. “It didn’t happen and it motivates us to play harder for the rest of the season.”
Senior Cardell Butler led the way for the Ags and finished the night with 16 points and two rebounds. Sophomore Nate Harris added 11 points and seven rebounds.
With the loss, the Ags dropped to 20-2 overall and 12-1 in conference play. The Tigers improved to 17-7 and 12-1 in the conference, forcing a tie for first place in the Big West.
“It’s disappointing to allow one like this to get away,” Morrill said. “We’ve got ourselves a heck of a conference race.”
Utah State will return home for games against UC Riverside Thursday and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday.
“The season’s not over,” Ahmad said. “We can’t put our heads down. We’ve got two more games at the Spectrum and we’ve got to make them memorable.”
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Utah State´s Mike Ahmad gets in the face of a Long Beach player Jan. 31. The Aggies play their final two home games this week. (Photo by Ryan Talbot)