Green puts on Superman cape again in 2-OT thriller
In a game that featured nine ties and 19 lead changes, the Utah State Aggies just feel lucky to have pulled out the victory. Behind another stellar road performance from senior guard Brian Green, the Aggies were able to keep their winning streak alive and squeak out a win in double overtime at the Stan Sheriff Center against the Hawaii Warriors Saturday night, 89-84.
“We hung in there and found a way,” Aggie head coach Stew Morrill said. “It was wild and crazy and a lot happened. We’ll take it. We just found a way to win that game.”
The Aggies were also able to tie a school record for consecutive conference wins with 23. The Aggies won 23 straight games during the 2000 and 2001 seasons as members of the Big West Conference.
Just when it seemed like the Aggies (20-2, 9-0) were in trouble Saturday night, Green, who finished with 22 points and three rebounds, found a way to keep USU in the game. Green hit a long two at the end of regulation to force overtime, and an NBA-range 3-pointer at the end of overtime to force an extra period.
“Brian Green was unbelievable,” Morrill said. “That 3 was a great shot.”
The Aggies and Warriors (12-9, 3-6) battled back and forth early on in the first half, and after sophomore Joston Thomas gave the Warriors a 22-20 lead with 8:15 remaining, junior forward Brady Jardine responded back with a jumper of his own that sparked a 13-5 Aggie run to end the half. The Aggies led by as much as nine in the first half, courtesy of a dunk by junior forward Morgan Grim.
The Warriors responded out of the halftime with a run of their own. Junior Zane Johnson, who torched the Aggies for 24 points in the Spectrum already, hit a jumper that sparked a 12-8 run to cut the deficit to two.
The Aggies would bounce back again however, as Tyler Newbold hit three of his 17 points for the game to spur a 14-5 Aggie run. Johnson, who finished with a game-high 25 points, hit a 3-pointer that sparked a 15-4 Warrior run capped by a lay-up from walk-on junior point-guard Jeremiah Ostrowski to cut the Aggie lead to 60-59.
A total of five Aggies finished the night in double figure scoring. Jardine finished with 13 points, senior forward Tai Wesley finished with 12 and junior guard Brockeith Pane added 11.
After Wesley had given the Aggies the lead in the waning seconds of regulation, Ostrowski found true freshman Bo Barnes, who nailed a trey from the left corner to give the Warriors a two-point lead with just over a minute to play. On the ensuing possession, Green hit a long 2-pointer to tie the ball game. Green’s shot was initially ruled a 3-point basket, which would have given USU a one point lead, but upon video review the officials determined that Green’s foot was touching the 3-point line.
In the first overtime, both teams struggled mightily to score, but Johnson hit a clutch 3-pointer to give the Warriors the lead, and two free-throws from Ostrowski with under 30 seconds to play seemed to seal the upset.
Ostrowski had a career night against the Aggies as he finished with 15 points and six assists. “He (Ostrowski) killed us,” Morrill said.
Green would come up big again in the final possession of overtime, nailing an NBA-range 3-pointer to tie the game once again.
Out of the second overtime the Aggies seemed to have sealed the victory, as they scored the first four points of the game, but the Warriors responded with a 6-0 run to take a two-point advantage.
Things didn’t look good for the Aggies when Wesley fouled out in the second overtime with 1:23 to play, but the Aggies finished the game on a 10-3 run sparked by a game-tying jumper by Nate Bendall and a go-ahead basket by Pane on a drive to give the Aggies the lead for good.
“We just hung in there on the road,” Morrill said. “This is a pretty special win.”
– ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu