Utah State falls at home to No. 13 SDSU
For the first time in the Craig Smith era, the Utah State men’s basketball team has lost back-to-back games following a 77-68 home defeat at the hands of No. 13 San Diego State.
“This one stings, certainly,” USU head coach Craig Smith said.
“We didn’t play our best,” Aggies’ senior guard Sam Merrill said. “I thought our energy and mindset was much better from what happened on Wednesday, but we still didn’t play our best.”
Shooting woes reared their ugly head for seemingly the umpteenth time.The most detrimental shooting stretch on Saturday came smack dab in the middle of the first half. After freshman guard Sean Bairstow his a 3-pointer to tie the game 11-11 at the 12:16 mark, it would be another 5:21 before another Aggie made a field goal. By the time sophomore guard Brock Miller mercifully ended the 0 for 7 cold spell, the Aztecs had gone up 21-12. After that run, Utah State never closed the gap closer than five points.
“We just couldn’t score,” Smith said. “The better teams that you play, you just can’t afford to go in those kind of ruts.”
Late in the game, USU did make a heroic surge in the form of a 12-3 run which started with 12:51 left in the game. The Aztecs had built up to their largest lead of the game, 16, but the Utah State put forward its best response of the game. Senior guard Diogo Brito and Merrill drained back-to-back triples and Merrill added two more free throws for an 8-0 run. Queta capped the run with an emphatic two-handed dunk, drawing a timeout from SDSU.
Had Utah State held on to that momentum, the game could have been different. Unfortunately, the Aztecs came out of the time out and immediately went on a 7-1 run to retake a 13-point double-digit lead. USU went on another run, this time 6-0, but to no avail. The thirteenth-best team in the country simply wouldn’t be stopped.
“We played good, San Diego State just played better,” USU sophomore center Neemias Queta said. “Hats off to them. They hit big shots whenever they needed to.”
On the night, Utah State shot 42.6 percent and just 26.1 from deep. Merrill, often a paragon of efficiency, had a second off night in a row. The reigning MW Player of the Year only made 8 of his 21 attempts and was 3 for 12 on triples. Though throughout all that he was the Aggies’ leading scorer with 26 points.
Poor percentages on the box score have been wearing on Smith and sticking in the minds of his players.
“We’ve been inconsistent, there’s no doubt,” Smith said.
Since the start of the new year, Utah State’s shooting percentages are more akin to brick layers than a team which began the year in the AP Top 25. In two games, both Mountain West contests, the Aggies have made 40 of 106 (37.7) field goal attempts. Their 3-pointers, of which they are 8 of 42 in the same span, have produced more iron than a smelting plant.
To put it frankly, it’s a trend that’s getting old.
“Trust me, I wish I had than answer (to the shooting problems),” Smith said. “I’ve been trying to figure that out for three months.”
Time and time again though, several of the athletes have expressed optimism in the face of detrimental shooting droughts. Queta, who personally went 5 of 8 on Saturday for 15 points, became the latest.
“I think we’re doing all the right things,” Queta said. “We’re just not hitting shots. That’s the problem. We’ll snap out of it really quick.”
Utah State will have the chance to prove Queta’s optimism right on Tuesday. They’ll face Air Force in Colorado Springs; Smith said that game will show what the Aggies are made of.
Twitter: @thejwalk67