Seniors finish undefeated home season with revenge over Idaho
With emotions running high on Senior Night, the No. 23 Utah State Aggies could have gotten caught up in the festivities and stumbled at home against the only Western Athletic Conference (WAC) team that has beaten them all season. Instead, the four-time WAC Champs put the celebration on hold for 40 minutes while they went to work.
Senior forward Tai Wesley scored 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds in his last home game as an Aggie in front of a sold-out Dee Glen Smith Spectrum to lead the Aggies 84-68 over the Idaho Vandals. Both teams sputtered out of the gate, but the Aggies quickly got back to their efficient offense and suffocating defense.
“I thought we were aggressive and active,” Aggie head coach Stew Morrill said. “We struggled early scoring, but our guys were bound and determined to get back at Idaho and get a win. We played good in a lot of different areas. We shot the ball well and rebounded the ball pretty well. It was a good win.”
After Wesley made an easy lay-up to start the game, the Aggies would miss eight consecutive field goal attempts and find themselves tied with Idaho at five apiece just five minutes into the first half after a lay-up from Vandal sophomore center Kyle Barone.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our guys,” Vandals head coach Don Verlin said. “I feel like they fought all game long. I played a lot of guys that haven’t played much. They came in and did a good job, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Senior guard Brian Green would hit a 3-pointer while closely guarded by senior guard Jeff Ledbetter to spur a 12-2 run, capped by a mid-range jump-shot from junior guard Brockeith Pane.
“I just wanted to come out and play really hard,” Green said. “We were kinda struggling in the beginning offensively. I just tried to shoot the ball in and it was going in.”
A jumper from Wesley would push the Aggie advantage to 21-10 before the Vandals put together a run of their own. The Vandals were able to get a few easy lay-ups off some offensive boards that lead to an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 21-18.
The Aggies would respond however, and a put-back lay-up from senior guard Tyler Newbold sparked a 18-5 run to end the first half. The Aggies held Idaho to 38.5 percent shooting from the field and 14.3 percent from 3-point land.
“We really wanted to come and beat Idaho,” Green said. “Obviously they beat us. We were really focused on this game and not much on the Senior Night, and not much about the future, just Idaho. I thought we came out and played hard and aggressive.”
The Vandals came out firing to start the second half, but the Aggies had found their rhythm as well. The Vandals cut the lead to 11 points off a 3-pointer from Ledbetter, but that is as close as it would get thanks to the Aggie offense.
The Ags shot a blazing 63.2 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3-point range during the second half and finished the night shooting 50 percent from the floor and 40 percent from 3-point land. Pane finished the night with 18 points, while Green added 15.
“They are a very good basketball team,” Verlin said. “They are very well-coached. They have six very good seniors as you saw here tonight, and the fans here did a great job of paying tribute to the guys who have put in so many hours. They are a good team, a top 20 team for a reason.”
After the final buzzer sounded, it was time for celebration and reflection.
“It feels wonderful,” Newbold said. “This is something that you want to experience every year, competing for a championship, and I have been lucky enough for four years that I have played we have won them. I have had guys that I have wanted to be on the court with, and I have played for teams that always wanted to win. It has been an awesome experience for me, and I won’t ever forget it.”
Morrill said, “That’s a special group of guys, and what they’ve done is unbelievable. They show up every day. They are high-character guys. I firmly believe that if you have character in your program, it goes a long, long way, and those guys have provided unbelievable character and stability for Aggie basketball the last four years.”
Despite the victory and the celebration, the Aggies will be looking to stay focused as the season closes and post-season action begins.
“We have to regroup on Monday,” Morrill said. “We can’t have a let-down. There’s a lot of carrots out there to play for. Obviously we’ve won the league and that’s great, but there’s a lot more good things that can happen if you keep winning. That’s the way we’ve got approach it.”
The Aggies finish the season with a two-game road trip. First up for the Aggies are the other Aggies of New Mexico State. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. Wednesday from the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M., and the game can be seen on ESPN2.
– ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu