USU MBB: Ashworth, Aggies torch Bradley 84-62
LOGAN — Utah State blew out Bradley 84-62 to pick up their second victory of the season. Guard Steven Ashworth led all scorers and set a career-high with 28 points.
Ashworth said he felt like he was “throwing rocks in the ocean” during the game.
“Some nights, I think it just feels like that,” Ashworth said. “Tonight was one of those nights.”
Ashworth drilled five 3-pointers and dished out six assists. He got his career-high basket on a deep triple with 2:01 left in the game to boost USU up 82-62.
“You can’t ignore Steven’s game tonight off the bench,” head coach Ryan Odom said. “He’s got that inner belief in himself, and he’s a competitor. I’m just glad he’s wearing that Utah State uniform.”
However, the Aggies struggled on offense in the first six minutes of the game. USU shot 2-11 from the field and turned the ball over three times in that stretch while scoring just six points. But, USU’s stout defense bailed them out. Utah State kept Bradley to just four points through the first eight minutes of play by forcing tough shots and benefitting off of Braves misses.
“The defense was huge,” Odom said. “We were forcing some hard shots. We were able to separate a little bit.”
Plentiful foul calls were also a reality USU had to face. Total fouls were close to even, with 23 called on the Braves and 24 on the Aggies, but, the constant stoppages impacted the pace of the game.
“It can be difficult, but I think when we’re also getting to the free throw line, it’s keeping our rhythm in sync,” Ashworth said.
Ashworth led the Aggies and set career-highs with 11 made free throws on 12 attempts. USU as a whole made 23 of 27 total free throw attempts.
The fouls, however, put forward Taylor Funk and guards Rylan Jones and Max Shulga in foul trouble early. But, the Aggie bench answered the call and put together career nights.
Along with Ashworth’s 28 points, USU’s bench scored 54 total points, headlined by forward Zee Hamoda’s career-high tying 15 points and forward Dan Akin’s season-high 10 points.
“We have a really good bench,” Akin said. “It just shows how good our depth is.”
Hamoda also impressed on defense as he recorded two blocks and gave the Aggies what Odom called “great minutes defensively.”
Akin stepped up after a rough first game where he had 5 turnovers and this time out recorded his 16th career double, leading the team with 11 rebounds.
“That obviously wasn’t a good first impression,” Akin said. “I just wanted to redeem myself and do a lot better.”
He also did it with blurry vision for a couple of minutes after his contact was poked out early in the first half. Akin added that “it isn’t fun,” but it helped wake him up and get involved in the game, with most of his stats being recorded afterward.
Utah State is back in action on Monday night as they host Santa Clara to end their homestand. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on Aggie Radio 92.3 FM.
Featured image by Elise Gottling from the UVU game.