Aggies finish 2010 with victory over Spartans
The Utah State Aggies may have welcomed the most prolific scorer of the Western Athletic Conference in San Jose State Spartans senior guard Adrian Oliver Friday night, but it was junior guard Brockieth Pane who stole the show scoring 21 points and dishing out seven assists to lead the Aggies over the Spartans, 80-71.
Despite the win, the Aggies (13-2, 2-0 WAC) were not happy at all with their effort against the Spartans (8-5, 0-2 WAC), especially in the first half. Aggie head coach Stew Morrill may have been the most angry, as he didn’t see to many positives in the win.
“Coach was on us at half,” senior forward Tai Wesley said. “He came out fiery and really chewed us. He really chewed us seniors. He said that we weren’t playing with enough emotion. Coach really lit a fire under our butts. He was yelling and kicking things in the locker room and we had to respond, especially the seniors.”
Morrill said, “I shouldn’t have to do that. As angry as I can remember being in my years at Utah State. You can’t play the game of basketball without energy and heart and that was my whole pre-game speech. They didn’t listen.”
For the second consecutive game the Aggies allowed their opponent to shoot a great percentage in the first half. The Spartans hit 48 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3-point land. The Aggies shot 52 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point land, which led to a slim 39-38 lead at halftime.
“We were atrocious in the first half,” Morrill said. “We played with no energy, no heart. Thank goodness we came out in the second half and guarded them a little bit.”
The Aggies were able to hold the Spartans to 38.7 percent from the field in the second half and didn’t allow the Spartans a single 3-point goal.
USU didn’t respond to Morrill’s fiery halftime speech until seven minutes into the second half. Sophomore forward Brylle Kamen, who finished with a surprising 13 points on the night, put the Spartans up 50-48 with a lay-up. Wesley tied the score with a lay-up on the other end, and Pane put the Aggies up for good on the ensuing possession with a strong move to the basket.
“I was just taking what the defense was giving me,” Pane said.
After Pane gave the Aggies the lead, freshman point guard James Walker checked in and gave the Aggies the final boost they would need to put the Spartans away. Walker hit a free throw to spark an 11-2 Aggie run capped by put-back lay-up from junior forward Brady Jardine.
After a season-long 5-game home stand, the Aggies prepare for a season-long 3-game road trip. With games against Nevada, Boise State, and Fresno State looming, there is one coming theme coming from the Aggies.
“Pretty soon, someone around here is going to believe me when I tell them we are not a real good basketball team,” Morrill said. “We’re a very average WAC team right now. They better get better or we’re going to finish middle of the pack or lower. That is a fact. We’re just not where we should be, but we’re going to try and fix that. That’s my job.”
Wesley said, “We’re just fortunate to be 2-0. We’ve got a week of practice where we need to get better.”
The Aggies take on the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. in the Lawlor Events Center. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
–ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu