Men’s basketball drops second straight
Coming off a lopsided loss in the first of a two-game road trip, things turned from bad to worse for the Utah State men’s basketball team. Down two starters against the top-ranked defense in the conference, the Aggies suffered their second straight double-digit loss, 68-57, against Denver.
With leading scorer Preston Medlin nursing a wrist injury and Kyisean Reed out with a bad knee – both injuries sustained in the loss to New Mexico State on Thursday – the Aggies woes started early as the Pioneers raced to a 6-0 lead.
Both teams were hot from behind the 3-point line in the first half, shooting more than 60 percent.
The Pioneers went 7-of-11 from beyond the arc while the Aggies were 5-of-7, but unfortunately for USU, it was the only offense the Aggies could muster en route to a 36-25 halftime deficit.
Denver tallied 11 assists on 14 field goals in the first half and committed zero turnovers in the game’s first 20 minutes.
The shooting struggles worsened in the second half as the Aggies failed to record a field goal until the 12:40 mark of the half and Denver pulled away. After seven turnovers in the first half, the Aggies committed eight in the second half.
Utah State shot 47 percent from the field on the night but was unable to slow the Denver offense allowing a scorching 56-percent field goal percentage. Marvin Jean scored a team-high 14 points in his second start of the season while Jarred Shaw added 10 points and 9 rebounds.
The Aggies fell to 14-3 overall and 5-2 in WAC play and are now in third place behind the Pioneers at 6-1 and Louisiana Tech at 6-0.
Utah State returns to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Thursday, Jan. 24 to host UT-Arlington, with tip-off scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
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