USU MBB: Sharp-shooting Aggies get past short-handed Rams
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Utah State Men’s Basketball downed 18 3-pointers in their 88-79 victory at Colorado State on Saturday night. The Aggies picked apart the Rams’ zone defense in the second half shooting 57% from beyond the arc while hitting 12 triples.
“We’re one of the best shooting teams in the country,” forward Taylor Funk said. “I think every shot we took was great. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t. Live or die, but this team likes to live by them.”
Guard Steven Ashworth led the attack from the perimeter. He drilled a career-high tying eight 3-pointers on a career-high 17 attempts.
“We’ve got the best shooter in the country on our team here,” Funk said about Ashworth.
Ashworth totaled 26 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Right behind Ashworth was Funk who poured in five treys of his own. He finished with 21 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Another huge factor on the offensive side of the ball was guard Sean Bairstow. He set a career-high with nine assists and added 11 points of his own.
“He and Max (Shulga) in particular, and Steven (Ashworth) at times, were penetrating that zone and getting in there and making some plays,” Odom said. “The ball was kind of moving at that point. And there are probably some hockey assists in there that he should get credit for too.”
Bairstow’s drives were a big factor in defeating Colorado State’s zone defense — a system USU hasn’t faced for an entire game since a preseason scrimmage against Washington.
“We were a little bit concerned going in,” Odom said about facing the zone. “But I thought our guys did a really good job of handling it well and certainly, it always helps when you make shots like we did.”
To start the game, the teams traded massive runs. Utah State went first hitting four threes on their way to a 13-2 lead three minutes into the game. The Rams responded with a 16-0 run over six minutes to take an 18-13 lead.
After sloppy play from both sides to end the half, including eight Aggie turnovers, center Trevin Dorius slammed home an alley-oop to give USU a 33-32 lead at the break.
Out of the locker room, Utah State slowly grew its lead by trading 3-pointers for free throws and two-point jumpers. Midway through the half, USU increased the separation with a 10-2 run to build a 65-52 lead behind four points from forward Dan Akin and a triple each from Ashworth and forward Zee Hamoda. The Rams had a 10-3 run in the final six minutes, but it was too little, too late as the Aggies went home with what Odom called “a great road win against a really good Colorado State team.”
While Utah State faced a short-handed CSU squad — the Rams only had seven scholarship players after several injuries to players — and won by just nine, they were glad to get their 19th win of the year, surpassing last season’s win total. Funk talked about how he was proud of his team for grinding through the season so far.
“It just shows the hard work and the dedication and the commitment this team has,” Funk said. “It’s a long season, you know. It’s not easy to get going every single night and we just find a way to do it.”
Odom agreed and pivoted toward the rest of the Aggies’ slate.
“We have a lot of games left,” Odom said. “All the games are big this time of year. We understand that. Any road ‘dub’ that you can get is huge.”
With the win, Utah State improves to 19-5 on the year and 8-3 in Mountain West play, tying USU for second in the conference. The Aggies return home for their next contest as they host No. 22 San Diego State at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on Aggie Radio 92.3 FM.
Featured image by Elise Gottling from the New Mexico game.