Aggies handle Air Force, get revenge
LOGAN – Utah State opened their conference schedule with a two-point loss on the road to the Air Force Falcons. On Tuesday night in the Spectrum, in front of a packed student section all donning ‘Spectrum Magic’ shirts, the Aggies got their revenge.
USU dominated from start to finish, leading by as many as 30 in the second half, en route to a 73-46 win over the Falcons. The Aggies move to 13-9 for the season.
USU was led by forward Brandon Horvath who had 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists – the closest Aggie to a triple-double this season. Horvath was one of four Aggies in double digits for the night.
“Yeah, the balance was huge,” head coach Ryan Odom explains. “I think it just speaks to our guy’s willingness to share (the ball). The open guy is the go-to guy.”
The Aggies also tallied 20 total assists on the night. Sean Bairstow was the recipient of several highlight-reel assists, including an electrifying alley-oop by Rylan Jones from 30-feet out.
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It sure is an AIR show tonight😉#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/RO6LskcpBo
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 2, 2022
“I saw Sean [Bairstow] just kind of cut, I just threw it and he dunked it,” Jones says about the play. “It was just a great feeling; it was just like, hey, I’m back.”
Jones had five points and three rebounds in his first game back from a concussion suffered nearly two weeks ago in a game against Fresno State.
The Aggies took control of the game early in the first half, taking a lead with 15:28 that they would never relinquish. Utah State ended the half on a 9-3 run to take a 36-23 lead into the break. They cruised through the second half behind a 62% shooting performance to hand Air Force their biggest loss of the season.
This is the third game in a row where Utah State has given their opponent their biggest loss of the year.
The Utah State defense was crucial in the win, holding Air Force to just 35% shooting from the floor and 13% from range throughout the game. They allowed just 46 points; the Aggie’s lowest point total allowed for the season.
In addition to limiting open shots from the Airmen, USU dominated the glass, pulling down 36 rebounds and allowing Air Force to just 16. Controlling the boards has been crucial for Utah State on their current three-game win streak.
This Falcon team that gave them fits with countless screens and back cuts in their first matchup struggled to get anything going tonight.
“I think just playing harder, just being ready for it,” Horvath says on the defensive matchup. “We weren’t really ready for it the first time. We just came out and set the tone to be more physical than them.”
Utah State has climbed up the #34 on the Ken Pomeroy rankings with tonight’s blowout win, the third-highest ranking of any Mountain West team. The Aggies have two more home games this week against San Jose State and UNLV. Both are must-win games if the Aggies are to keep their postseason hopes alive.