Back on trackBack on track
All five Aggie starters scored in double-figures as the Utah State men’s basketball team beat the Fresno State Bulldogs 87-77 in the Spectrum Thursday.
Nate Harris and Jaycee Carroll both scored 18 points, David Pak 15, Cass Matheus 12 and Durrall Peterson 11 while Harris and Matheus both grabbed 10 rebounds.
“That was a good win for us,” head coach Stew Morrill said. “They were hard for us to guard. They missed enough shots that we were all right.”
The win was the 20th of the season for USU, marking the seventh consecutive year in which the Aggies have reached that milestone.
Just before halftime, Aggie Chris Huber took an elbow to the face and did not return. Peterson, who normally plays small forward, was moved to point guard to fill for Huber.
“Obviously, we were in trouble at the point,” Morrill said. “Huber had a headache and a stiff neck. They don’t mess around with that stuff anymore.”
Peterson said he was comfortable at the helm.
“I had to play a lot of point in junior college and in high school,” he said. “It’s in my roots.”
Morrill said he was pleased with the intensity that Carroll brought to the game.
“He’s like a wild colt sometimes,” he said. “He has a lot of energy. He has some defensive breakdowns at times because of it, but I’d rather have a guy with energy that without.”
Carroll said he wanted to play especially good in this game because he had many friends from his LDS mission in attendance.
“I felt excited to play,” he said. “I didn’t want to hold anything back. It was nice to finally finish to some layups. I wasn’t doing that earlier in the season.”
Peterson said this win will help the Aggies forget about last Saturday’s 75-57 home loss to Nevada.
“This was a good bounce-back win,” he said. “The season’s not over. It’s just starting. A lot of analysts say to get that loss before the tournament. I guess we got that out of the way.”
USU shot 60.4 percent from the field compared to FSU’s 46.6. The Aggies also out-rebounded the Bulldogs 33-21.
USU will now turn its attention to Saturday when it will play it’s final home game of the season against the San Jose State Spartans. The game will start at 7 p.m.
-bhhinton@cc.usu.edu