Bench shines as USU obliterates Fullerton
The Utah State basketball team started a new streak Friday night – and in easy fashion.
USU defeated Cal State Fullerton, 76-52, in Fullerton, Calif., upping its record to 19-3 and 8-1 in Big West Conference play.
Tied at 24 late in the first half, the Aggies went on an 11-0 surge going into intermission, capped off by a long 3-pointer from the corner by point guard Bernard Rock as time expired.
After scoring the first four points of the second half, the Aggies took control and consistently led by 16 to 20 points the entire second half on their way to the 24-point victory.
“We got the cushion we needed to have,” said head coach Stew Morrill.
One key in the victory for USU was its bench, which contributed 31 total points in the team’s effort. Reserves Dion Bailey and Jeremy Vague started the second half on their way to scoring six points each.
“We try to come in like spark plugs,” Vague said.
Sophomore forward Toraino Johnson chipped in seven points, while freshman backup point guard Thomas Vincent netted eight points – a career high.
Another bright spot for the Aggies in the victory was rebounding. USU out-rebounded Fullerton 37-26, something Morrill was excited about.
“We hadn’t won the battle of the boards for four straight games,” he said. “And we were the leading rebounding team in the league until that happened.”
Morrill was happy his troops were able to “take care of business.”
“It’s gotta be fun to you,” he said. “You’ve got to remind yourself how much you like this game.”
Aggie forward Shawn Daniels found his inside shot again vs. the Titans, scoring 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line. Tony Brown contributed 12, hitting 4-of-6 from 3-point land.
Center Dimitri Jorssen and forward Curtis Bobb continued to struggle in Fullerton. Jorssen got into foul trouble early and only finished with six points after a scoreless outing in Irvine, and Bobb continued his shooting slump.
He is 28 percent from the field the last three games and only hit 3-of-8 for seven points against the Titans.
One thing Vague didn’t like about the game was the lack of a crowd.
“It was really difficult to play in an environment like this,” Vague said of the sparse crowd.
Vague is looking forward to a capacity crowd when UC Irvine comes to the Spectrum on Thursday.
“I can’t wait for those guys to come to our house,” he said. The Anteaters hosted a capacity crowd Wednesday, but Vague said a packed Spectrum would be better.
“I’m sure we’ll top it,” Vague said.