Six in a row for the Ags
Utah State men’s basketball hosted UC Irvine in an all-out brawl Saturday night resulting in USU’s seventh win of the season, sixth in a row.
The Anteaters (6-3, 0-0 Big West) put the pressure on the Aggies (7-1, 0-0 MW) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum but the matchup proved more even than fans anticipated. After coming off a win against Saint Louis, USU was ready for the fight.
“I’m really proud of our guys. Once again, they keep finding ways to win. That is a really good team, and I kept telling the guys that it’s tough to beat UC Irvine. They aren’t going to beat themselves. I have played against those guys too many times. I know how tough and physical they are,” head coach Danny Sprinkle said. “I think it changed at halftime when we challenged the guys to guard and to hold them.”
USU came into the matchup 4-0 when scoring at least 80 points and had outscored its opponents in the paint 328-188 so far this season. Including tonight, USU has led at the half in every game this season and has held a double-digit lead in six games.
Starting on the floor for the Aggies was guard Mason Falslev, forward Great Osobor, center Isaac Johnson, guard Ian Martinez and guard Darius Brown II.
UCI started the game by earning the tip-off and the first two points on the board. Quickly getting the rebound, guard Justin Hohn headed back for another two before Falslev gained the first points for the Aggies. Brown took the next 3 for the Aggies’ first lead of the game.
Back-and-forth play kept the scores balanced, even as USU went on a streak of 6 of their last 7 shots in the beginning.
Tied up at 15 a piece with 14 minutes left in the first half, USU went into a scoring drought for 3:02.
A steal and a slam dunk all alone from Uduje brought enough energy for the Aggies to keep up with the ‘Eaters.
UCI’s scoring drought of 2:42 helped USU gain the lead with a 6-0 run over 1:51.
The pattern continued in a physical battle for the ball, much of it on the ground. The Aggies looked scrappier than they had in the past but visibly worked hard for every point they got.
With 02:26 left in the half, UCI’s head coach Russell Turner received a technical foul. The HURD didn’t let him forget it for the rest of the game.
The Aggies led at the end of the first half 42-41 but it wasn’t without a back-and-forth fight. With 13 lead changes and four ties, neither team could feel confident about the outcome just yet.
HALFTIME STATS:
USU USI
PTS: 42 PTS: 41
FG: 16-32 FG: 17-29
3P: 5-13 3P: 4-7
REB: 14 REB: 13
The second half started with the same trend as the first with quick plays but USU quickly took off.
Taking advantage of their one-point lead, the Aggies only gave it up once right in the beginning but quickly took it back and kept it till the end.
The Aggies took advantage of the lead and fed off the crowd’s energy. Coach Turner, clearly heated from the change of pace in the game was encouraged by the HURD noticed and didn’t fail to chant his name throughout the half.
With 7:49 left in the half, USU gained its largest lead of the game of 16 points.
A 15-2 run over 4:14 for the Aggies was the theme for the rest of the matchup. Osobor threw in another dunk and was named player of the game capturing 17 total points, four rebounds and two assists.
With just one minute left in play, Uduje took foul shots making 1-3 and the crowd started chanting for ice cream.
USU recovered the ball with 15 seconds left and Brown walked down the court smiling at the crowd, one point away from their ice cream prize, but decided to keep it on the ground.
“There’s a lot more adrenaline going through my body in games,” Falslev said. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed of, growing up playing in front of my hometown. It’s like a dream come true for me so I give it everything I got when I’m out there. I think I owe it to the people here in Cache Valley.”
FINAL STATS:
USU USI
PTS: 79 PTS: 69
FG: 30-59 FG: 27-57
3P: 8-24 3P: 5-13
REB: 33 REB: 28