Utah State catches fire, defeats MVSU 83-47
Utah State overcame a slow start on Wednesday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, scoring 50 points in the second half to defeat Mississippi Valley State 83-47. DeAngelo Isby led all scorers with 17 points.
“If you’re not ready to play at this level, you have to respect every opponent, if you’re not ready to play, you’re gonna look bad in some cases,” head coach Tim Duryea said. “The last five or six minutes of the first half, we started to guard and rebound and that carried over to the second half. I thought we played extremely well after the half both offensively and defensively.”
USU started poorly, shooting only 2-11 from behind the arc through much of the first half. As a result, the Aggies found themselves trailing the Delta Devils by as many as nine points early on before a 12-0 run helped turn the tide and give USU a 33-28 lead heading into halftime.
“We came out a little bit flat,” Merrill said. “From about the 10 minute mark, we started guarding really well, we started moving the ball really well, and started making shots… We didn’t start well, but once we started focusing and getting down on defense, we played pretty well.”
In the second half, the heavens opened. The Aggies blitzed MVSU, opening the half on a 20-0 run powered by two 3-pointers apiece from Isby and sophomore Koby McEwen.
“We just needed to settle down,” redshirt freshman Daron Henson said. “In the first half, we weren’t playing our game, we were just all over the place.” “Once we settled down, we started playing a lot better.”
Photo by Tim Carpenter
McEwen finished the game with 11 points and five assists. Fellow sophomore Sam Merrill cracked double digits in scoring for the first time this season, tallying 10 points on only five shots. Merrill also finished the game with five assists and zero turnovers, the seventh such game of his career. Isby added five rebounds plus three steals to his stat line, as well.
The game mirrored many of the aspects of Monday’s outing versus Montana State. Against the Bobcats, the Aggies shot lights out from 3-point territory while outrebounding MSU 30-14. On Wednesday night versus MVSU, USU shot 51.6 percent after the half and outrebounded the Delta Devils 23-12.
Utah State’s offense, after floundering versus Weber State, has now scored a combined 164 points over their previous two games. Ball movement has been a critical part of that turnaround, as the Aggies assisted on 18 of 26 field goals on Wednesday night.
Henson came off the bench to pour in 12 points, including 3-5 from behind the arc, while grabbing six rebounds. Dwayne Brown Jr. added nine points and three rebounds.
The game seemed to serve as a microcosm for Utah State’s potential this season. Shooting only 40 percent from the field during the first half, the Aggies seemed to struggle. Following adjustments and a regrouping during the halftime, USU obliterated the competition with a barrage of 3s reminiscent of a Game of Thrones scene. Once the team caught stride, the crowd then came alive, cycling that energy straight back to the team.
“The Spectrum’s great. Once you start hearing the loud cheering, it just pushes you to do something else,” Henson said. “We have great fans, and we love them.”
From here, Utah State moves on the road for their next five games. After managing only one road win a season ago, the Aggies are hungry to prove they can win outside of Logan.
“We have a challenge, but it’s a good opportunity for us,” Merrill said of the team’s upcoming road trip, “and we’re glad to have it.”
Utah State’s first opportunity may be their toughest, as the Aggies will take on a national championship participant from last season. USU will face off with Gonzaga on Saturday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 pm.