WEB EXTRA: USU tops UC Riverside 75-45
UTAH STATE Aggies vs. UC RIVERSIDE Highlanders
USU 75 UCR 45
LOGAN, Utah — Curtis Bobb and reserve guard Dion Bailey each scored 12 points to lead a balanced Utah State University squad past UC Riverside 75-45 Tuesday night in the Smith Spectrum.
The Aggies (15-2, 4-0) also got double-figure scoring from center Shawn Daniels (10), who also registed two steals and a blocked shot in only 23 minutes of play. Bailey also shared the team high in rebounds (5).
The Highlanders (6-11) were led in scoring by bench player Mark Vanta, who scored 8. UCR’s leading scorer, Mark Miller (13.6 ppg), was held to four points.
The winning margin was fueled by a 20-6 run at the beginning of the second half, marked by four Aggie three-pointers during the run, two by Bobb. The Aggies also wore down the visiting Highlanders on defense, holding UCR to 28 percent field goal shooting in the game.
Neither team could find any continuity in a ragged first half, though USU jumped out to an early 10-2 lead. There were almost as many turnovers in the first half as there were field goals — 25 combined turnovers — and UC-Riverside shot a meager 23 percent and USU only 35 percent in the half.
Only two consecutive steals by the senior Bailey, one leading to a lob pass and slam dunk by Brennan Ray, the other taken by Bailey for a layin, provided any spark for the Aggies in the early going, though they led at halftime 29-16.
The Highlanders are in their first year at the Division I level in basketball and are to join the Big West Conference for the 2001-02 season. So far this season, they are 2-5 against BWC opponents, with five more Big West games on the schedule.
The Aggies face conference opponent Boise State Saturday in the Smith Spectrum.
UC RIVERSIDE
Hands 1-10 2-2 4, Cook 2-4 0-0 4, Clayton 2-3 0-0 4, Butler 1-8 0-0 3, Labagh 3-6 0-0 7, Eddings 1-1 1-3 3, Bell 0-4 0-0 0, Elder 0-0 0-0 0, Vanta 2-5 2-2 8, Miller 2-5 0-0 4, Dededer 2-6 0-0 6, Morton 1-5 0-0 2, Perkins 0-0 0-0 0, Zepeda 0-3 0-0 0.
Totals: 17-60 5-7 45.
UTAH STATE
Daniels 3-6 4-7 10, Bobb 4-8 0-0 12, Jorssen 2-4 2-3 6, Rock 1-3 0-0 2, Brown 2-7 2-2 8, Vincent 1-5 0-2 3, Vague 1-1 1-1 3, 2-2 4-4 8, Bailey 3-6 6-7 12, Johnson 1-3 1-2 3, Napier 1-2 0-0 3, Evans 1-2 3-4 5 .
Totals: 22-49 23-32 75.
Halftime UCR 16 USU 9.
3-point goals — UCR 6-21 (Vanta 2-5, Dededer 2-4, Labagh 1-2, Butler 1-5, Hands 0-1, Bell 0-3, Miller 0-1), USU 8-20 (Bobb 4-6, Brown 2-7, Vincent 1-3, Napier 1-1, Johnson 0-1, Bailey 0-1, Rock 0-1).
Fouled out — UCR Morton.
Rebounds- UCR 35 (Hands 7) USU 40 (Bobb, Vague, Bailey 5).
Assists – UCR 14 (Labagh 4) USU 17 (Rock 9).
Total fouls- UCR 24, USU 14.
Technical fouls: none
Attendance: 6,031.