USU’s sophomore duo leading Aggies in tournament
Utah State’s backcourt duo of Sam Merrill and Koby McEwen aren’t old enough to drink, but they’ve led the Aggies to their first appearance in the semifinals of the Mountain West tournament.
The pair have traded the role of leading scorer in the two tournament games so far. Against Colorado State, McEwen posted 25 points, six rebounds and four assists in while Merrill led USU over Boise State with 28 points and shot 7-10 from 3-point range to go with five rebounds and five assists.
McEwen said his coaches and teammates put him in a position to be successful.
“I did the easy part by just hitting shots,” McEwen said. “I was usually taking what the defense gave me, and usually when I do that I’m pretty successful.”
In the two games, McEwen has been an all-around beast, averaging 19.5 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal per game.
Photo by Chantelle McCall
McEwen and Merrill had a lot of expectations place on them in the offseason, especially McEwen. This season has been up-and-down, but they’ve both come through. The two were the highest scoring backcourt combo in the Mountain West, averaging a combined 31.4 points overall and 34.3 during conference play.
“We put in a lot of work in the offseason, and we trust the work that we put in,” McEwen said. “The best players have to play the best when it comes to surviving the event.”
Merrill was clutch in both games, especially in the win over Boise State. Of his 39 points so far in the tournament, 27 have come in the first half. He also hit the biggest shot of the year — a 3-pointer that put the Aggies up 77-73 with 31 seconds to play.
Photo by Chantelle McCall
Utah State head coach Tim Duryea said going to Merrill late in the game wasn’t a question.
“We had the big possession there at the end of the game and there was no doubt where we were going with the ball,” Duryea said. “We were going to put the ball in [Merrill’s] hands and get a shot there on the play we run or have him turn the corner and drive it and make a play.”
The two guards have also had to defend Prentiss Nixon (16.1 points per game in the regular season) and first-team all-conference guard Chandler Hutchison. Both players were held under 15 points and under 32 percent shooting from the field and were a combined 1-7 from three.
Winning in the quarterfinals against a quality opponent is a huge step forward for the program, but the team isn’t satisfied yet.
“It’s only the quarterfinals,” Merrill said. “We just talked about it as a team. This isn’t an opportunity to move on to the semifinals, and I didn’t grow up wanting to win quarterfinal games. I grew up wanting to play in the tournament. We’re one step closer and we have to bring it tomorrow.”