USU tops Idaho in overtime; Medlin sinks last-second shot
It was a busy holiday break for the Utah State men’s basketball team, from buzzer beating shots to tournament wins. It all culminated in a 12-game winning streak as the Aggies improved to 13-1 overall and have started Western Athletic Conference play with a 4-0 record.
“It would have mentally been really easy to just kind of quit because you’re worn out,” head coach Stew Morrill said after four games in eight days. “We didn’t do that. We made enough plays. We really need to get better in some areas, but right now we need to enjoy the win. We’ll go back to the drawing board in a couple of days and try and get better in some of those areas.”
Utah State 82, Idaho 75
For the second time this season, junior Preston Medlin came through for Utah State with a clutch 3-pointer to send the game to overtime and the Aggies pulled away in the extra session to remain undefeated in WAC play.
Medlin scored a game-high 22 points as USU overcame foul trouble and a poor shooting night to steal a victory from the grasp of defeat. Freshman Marcel Davis carried the Aggies throughout the second half with 14 points and five Aggies finished in double digits.
Utah State 75, Seattle 66
Behind a strong performance from its lone senior, the Utah State basketball team emerged victorious behind a double-double from Kyisean Reed.
After giving up the first five points of the game, Reed took over for the Aggies with nine straight points as part of a 12-0 run that gave USU the lead. The Redhawks stormed back but Davis fueled USU down the stretch to pull out the win.
Utah State 81, Texas State 57
Led by a team-high 21 points from Medlin, the Aggies buried the Bobcats with a 3-point barrage. Medlin, originally from Texas, hit 5-of-11 from beyond the arc to lead USU while Shaw, also from Texas, added 17 points.
Utah State 71, UTSA 67
Kicking off Western Athletic Conference play, Utah State escaped with a close win over the Roadrunners. Junior Spencer Butterfield scored a career-high 14 points and Medlin had a game-high 24 points in the win.
Playing their final season in the WAC, the Aggies finish 5-3 in conference openers with the win.
Utah State 70, Southern Illinois 58
Tournament MVP Kyisean Reed scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Aggies to a World Vision Challenge tournament victory over the Salukis. Reed and Medlin represented USU on the all-tournament team as the Aggies completed the sweep.
“It is really not just my award,” Reed said. “It is my teammates’ award as well, because they had a big part of my success.”
Utah State 73, UC Davis 61
A 3-point barrage was too much for the California Aggies as USU hit 12 shots from beyond the arc. Medlin scored 23 for Utah State, and junior TeNale Roland scored a season-high 11 points. The blue-clad Aggies shot 42 percent from the field in the win while picking up their second win in the World Vision Challenge sponsored by Gossner Foods.
Utah State 79, Nicholls State 72
Kicking off the World Vision Challenge sponsored by Gossner Food, the Aggies used strong post-play to get past Nicholls State thanks to 20 points and 12 rebounds from Reed while Shaw added 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Utah State 69, Utah Valley 63
Playing their second of three in-state matchups this season, the Aggies scraped their way past the Wolverines in Orem behind a strong debut from freshman Marcel Davis.The 6-foot-2 American Fork native scored a team-high 17 points and Shaw added 12.
“He is just getting better day-by-day,” USU head coach Stew Morrill said of Davis. “He was a little tentative early, but he has gotten more aggressive. A big part of it is he believes he can play. It’s fun to see him doing the things he’s doing.”
USU improved to 39-12 against in-state opponents since 1999.
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