USU MBB: Aggies clutch out final minutes to sneak by Spartans

LOGAN — Down by six with four minutes to go, Utah State Men’s Basketball needed stops and buckets to launch a comeback over San Jose State. The Aggies called a timeout after a Spartan bucket and head coach Ryan Odom told the team “we’re just going to find a way to win this game.”

“The way you do that is by executing on offense and scoring baskets and hustling and then being really stingy on defense,” Odom said. 

And that’s what the Aggies did. They launched an 11-4 run to close out the game and defeat San Jose State 75-74, tallying up the ninth straight USU win over SJSU. 

“To be able to finish with that kind of run was huge,” Odom said. 

In the first half, it was offensive rebounds and second-chance buckets that put San Jose State up 37-30 at halftime. The Spartans grabbed 10 offensive rebounds that led to 16 second-chance points in the first half alone. 

“Clearly, there was a commitment on their players’ part and staff’s part of coming in and imposing their will from a rebounding perspective in the first half that was just not acceptable for us,” Odom said. “We’ve got a very rebounding team and when you get caught in scrambles like that, and we were caught in scrambles, you are susceptible to some offensive rebounding and that certainly happened in the first half.”

In the second half, USU adjusted by changing their pick and roll coverages and switching more on defense, which Odom said “stopped the ball earlier” in possessions to give them a better chance.

While SJSU kept grabbing some offensive boards, they only got four more points off of them as Utah State would get crucial stops, including four in a row in a Spartan possession that lasted more than a full minute in the final three minutes of the game. Guard Max Shulga said the Aggies were able to get those stops because they took the game “play by play” to avoid getting too frustrated.

The four straight stops were especially important as they allowed guard Steven Ashworth to head the other way and hit a 3-pointer to take a 74-72 lead when Utah State finally corralled the ball. 

After a made shot from SJSU tied the game, both teams had fruitless possessions while the time ticked down to 22 seconds remaining.

That’s when guard Max Shulga became the hero of the night. On an inbounds play designed for him, Shulga got the clock down to ten then drove the lane and drew a foul to head to the free-throw line with a chance to put the Aggies up. 

He missed the first, but Shulga said he was able to dismiss his negative thoughts in order to make the second. 

“It was just staying composed and staying level-headed,” Shulga said. 

The one point was all USU needed as San Jose State guard Alvaro Cardenas missed a buzzer-beating three to end the night.

After a quiet first half for Ashworth personally — with only three points on five shots — and USU as a whole, limited to a mere 30 points, they figured out how to beat the Spartan defense.

“It’s hard to stop Steven for a whole game,” Odom said. “He’s determined. He’s going to find a way to get away from you.” 

In the first couple minutes of the second half, San Jose State lost Ashworth in transition twice and he nailed back-to-back triples. Later on, Ashworth would hit another four baskets to finish with a team-leading 19 points. 

“We couldn’t get Ashworth under control,” Tim Miles, San Jose State’s head coach said. “He’s a heady player and he does a lot of good things.” 

And while USU got it done on the offensive end in the final possessions, the Spartans will be kicking themselves for a couple of costly mistakes and missed buckets down the stretch. In the final four minutes, SJSU went 1-for-6 from the field and Spartan guard Omari Moore turned it over when he lost his footing and traveled on the Spartans’ second-to-last possession when it was tied 74-74. 

“It was certainly very disappointing to control the game for a long time, most of the night, and not come out with the win,” Miles said.

With the victory, the Aggies improve to 16-4 on the season and 5-2 in Mountain West play. Next up, Utah State visits San Diego State for a late tipoff Wednesday night in Viejas Arena. 

Featured image by Sam Warner from the Wyoming game.