Men’s basketball extends winning-streak to three against Wyoming
Utah State University’s men’s basketball team brought their winning-streak to three against the Wyoming Cowboys, with a 68-45 victory on Tuesday.
After starting the month of January with a 1-4 record, it seems the Aggies may be getting back into the groove of things.
USU puts Cowboys in rearview from start
The Aggies led the game from start to finish, marking the team’s third-consecutive win after going through a rough patch earlier this month.
Even while maintaining the lead the entire game, a turnover-ridden stretch in the first half lead to the Aggies scoring 25 points by halftime. Additionally, Utah State had eight turnovers over 11 minutes. In the second half, the team controlled the ball much better and pulled away from Wyoming.
Four players shine for USU
At the end of the second half, junior forward Alphonso Anderson made an impressive nine-point-run in less than four minutes. This gave Utah State a 29 point lead, its biggest of the game.
The Cowboys snuck in a few more points in the final minute, but the game had already been decided and the final score was 68-45 in favor of the Aggies.
Senior guard Sam Merrill led the team with 14 points, sophomore center Neemias Queta led the team in rebounds with 12 rebounds and senior guard Diogo Brito had four assists.
Aggies dominate battle of the boards
Utah State dominated the boards against the Cowboys, out-rebounding its opponent 41-23. Sophomore forward Justin Bean and Queta’s statlines narrowly missed out-rebounding Wyoming by just two boards.
Tough road ahead
While three-straight conference wins have allowed fans to not lose hope for the season, Utah State has a steep uphill battle ahead, starting with San Diego State University.
The Aztecs are ranked fourth in the nation and are the only undefeated team remaining in NCAA basketball. Last time San Diego State faced Utah State, the Aztecs came away with a 68-77 win.
Following the loss, Utah State went on to drop three-straight conference games and went 1-4 in the stretch of five games leading up to Air Force before things began to turn back around for the team.
After San Diego State, the Aggies face UNLV and Boise State, hoping to avenge the team’s previous losses to these teams earlier in January.
Looking ahead
With a conference record of 6-4 and only eight games left in the season, there is little room for error if the Aggies want to salvage their season.
Utah State will take on the Aztecs on Saturday at 8 p.m. in San Diego. The game will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.