Aggies get first WAC win
After losing their first two conference games, the Aggies were able to beat the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Saturday night, 69-49, for their first WAC win of the season.
“It’s good to get a WAC win,” Head Coach Stew Morrill said. “We needed to have that one. That was a must.”
Although the score showed a blowout, anyone who saw the game would not describe it that way. The Bulldogs played tough against the Aggies for almost the entire game, almost.
“Louisiana Tech was extremely physical, really active and contested every shot from the perimeter,” Aggie Jaycee Carroll said.
With 12:55 left in the game the Aggies had only a one-point lead.
Then the Aggie defense decided that was enough. For the rest of the game the Bulldogs would only make two more buckets as the Aggies closed the game with a 23-to-four run.
“It’s the first time we’ve held somebody to 36 percent for a while, 20 percent from three, something we used to do quite a bit,” Morrill said after the game. “This team has struggled with field goal percentage D, and that’s a key to being able to win WAC games.”
While defense was the element that ultimately sealed the game for the Aggies, they couldn’t have done it without the help of Carroll.
“Jaycee Carroll led us in every phase of the game,” Morrill said. “He passed the ball well, he got more open looks tonight, he was very aggressive and he was ready to go on the boards, scoring the ball, and I think he was better defensively than he has been. He just had a really good all-around game.”
Carroll led the team in rebounds, both offensive and defensive, with nine total. He led all scorers in points with 27, while going nine out of 15 from the field. He also led the Aggies with five assists in his 39 minutes of playing time, going out only for the last minute of the game when things were pretty well wrapped up.
“He played a whole lot better defensively,” point guard Kris Clark said about Carroll. “I told him I was proud of him for that.”
Carroll was not alone though. He got help from his teammates as well. Durrall Peterson had another good night, finishing with 11 points. Chaz Spicer chipped in eight points, and Nick Hammer came off the bench to add seven points.
A good sign for Aggie fans was the play of Clark, who looked more relaxed and confident than he has in previous games.
“Kris Clark is settling in at the point, getting more comfortable out there,” Morrill said.
Louisiana Tech started the game strong. Less than five minutes into the game the Bulldogs held a 10-4 lead. The Aggies clawed back, hitting some three-pointers and converting from the foul line.
Midway through the first half the Aggies went on a 9-0 run, with Carroll and Peterson providing all the offense, and they took a 22-16 lead.
The Bulldogs, thanks to good play of Chad Mckenzie (13 points), fought back to tie the game at 30. But then the Aggies finished the half with a 7-2 run, giving them a 37-32 lead at the break.
The beginning of the second half looked like more of the same. The two teams traded buckets until the Aggie defense stepped up and shut down the Bulldogs.
“It’s a good feeling,” Carroll said about winning their first WAC game. “Hopefully it’s not the last one. We’ll see if we can rattle off a couple in a row.”
After playing Idaho on Monday the Aggies will host Boise State Thursday, Jan. 18. Boise state beat the Aggies by 11, in Boise, two weeks ago.