Aggies blast Titans, are tied for first in Big West
After a near loss in its last meeting against Cal State Fullerton, the Utah State men’s basketball team held nothing back as it easily handled the Titans with a 62-41 victory in Riverside, Calif.
Thursday night’s game featured solid defense by the Aggies, holding the Titans to 33 percent shooting from the field — the same team that shot 62 percent from the field when they met in the Spectrum in their last game.
The Aggies’ defense allowed points to only six Titans players, three of which were held to two points, including center Pape Sow.
One of the reasons the Titans were able to stay remotely close to the Aggies was because of the effort of guard Ralphy Holmes, who ended up with 24 of the Titans 41 points.
But when holding the Titans to only 41 points, the Aggies feel fine about letting Holmes have 24, USU Head Coach Stew Morrill said.
“We really emphasized defense this week and getting back to guarding like we used to, and that’s what you saw tonight,” Morrill said. “It takes the pressure off your offense when you’re guarding like that because you can relax.”
Playing relaxed is certainly what the Aggies did. Looking like the home team, the Aggies opened a 9-0 lead early in the game and never let their lead drop below seven points. Utah State ended the first half with a 17-point lead, 33-16.
Unlike the Titans, who were virtually a one-man team on offense, nine players for the Aggies were able to score. Desmond Penigar led the group with 14, followed by Spencer Nelson who recorded 12 points and Michael Stowell with seven points, matching his career high.
But points aren’t what Stowell is looking for.
“Still when I’m out there I’m looking to pass first, but they back off me 10 feet and I say, ‘oh I better shoot,'” he said.
In addition to his seven points, Stowell came out with one assist, one steal and one rebound — even after getting hit below the eye by a Holmes’ elbow. Stowell said he will receive stitches Friday.
Along with Stowell, Penigar and Nelson, the Aggies had a help from Ronnie Ross and Mark Brown, who both recorded eight points.
Toraino Johnson and Nate Harris, scored four points apiece, while Cardell Butler chipped in three and Chad Evans, two.
Overall the Aggies dominated the game, including the rebounds. USU was able to out-rebound the Titans 37-22, due in a large part to 10 offensive boards.
“It surprised me a lot,” Stowell said. “You kind of figure it would be a little bit tougher, especially since they have Pape Sow coming back, but it was a great victory.”
One of the reasons for the difference in rebounds was the zone defense the Titans played the majority of the game, giving the Aggies the upper edge on the offensive side, especially since they were prepared for it, Morrill said.
“That’s another thing we work hard on all week,” he said. “We knew they were going to play 40 minutes of zone, because that’s what they do.”
With the win over the Titans, the Aggies are now tied for first place in the Big West Conference with the UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine.
–csmo@cc.usu.edu