Utah State snaps 4-game skid with 79-67 win over UNLV
Utah State snapped a 4-game losing streak with a 79-67 victory over UNLV on Saturday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The win secured the seventh seed for the Aggies, who finished 8-10 in Mountain West play (15-16 overall) and will play Colorado State in the opening round of the MW tournament.
“I thought we came out and played hard, especially coming off two losses on the road,” senior guard Julion Pearre said. “We came out and played with a chip on my shoulder and did whatever we could and come out with the win.”
The Aggies displayed a marked improvement over recent games, shooting 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from behind the 3-point line. Utah State also had 23 assists in the game, tying their highest total of the season.
“Huge point of emphasis,” head coach Tim Duryea said of the team’s passing on offense. “(UNLV) is strong defensively and they pressure you. But because of that, there are some opportunities to be had throwing the ball around the basket. When you drive it, there’s opportunities to kick to threes and dump to your teammate for finishes and … we did a good job of that tonight.”
The Aggies started the first half regaining that offensive flow that had been missing in recent games, building a 42-30 lead going into halftime. In the first five minutes of the second half, however, it seemed that past demons would again come to haunt USU, as UNLV went on a 16-6 run to cut the deficit to only two points. Utah State kept their composure, though, and responded with a 12-4 run to regain a firm control of the game.
“We can see that this team is capable of getting out of tough situations,” senior forward Alex Dargenton said. “We came back here and we got back on track … That proves that we can go to the tournament and we can do some great things.”
Sophomore guard Koby McEwen led USU with 18 points, adding five rebounds and four assists. Sophomore guard Sam Merrill added 15 points, plus three rebounds and three assists.
On Senior Night in the final home games of their careers, Dargenton and Pearre each gave spirited efforts. Dargenton totaled 12 points and provided another four rebounds and a career-high five assists. Pearre added six points plus two rebounds and three assists. Afterwards, both were thankful for their opportunities to play in the Aggie blue and fighting white.
“I love being an Aggie. I’m proud to say I’m an Aggie,” Pearre said. “I wasn’t highly recruited coming out of high school so coming here and immediately feeling the love from the fans and the team and my teammates has just been an amazing experience.”
The seniors will have at least one more game to suit up for USU, however, as the Aggies will venture to Las Vegas, Nevada next week for the Mountain West tournament. Utah State is scheduled to play Colorado State at 2:30 pm MST on Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Arena.