WEB EXTRA: USU tops UCSB 83-50

UTAH STATE Aggies vs. UC SANTA BARBARA Gauchos

USU 83 UCSB 50. LOGAN, Utah — Dimitri Jorssen scored a career-high 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead Utah State University to a 83-50 win over UC Santa Barbara in Big West action Thursday night.

The senior center from Belgium scored six of the Aggies’ first 12 points, as part of a 12-4 run to start the game, on his way to recording his second double-double outing of the year. USU now stands at 23-5, 12-3, while the Gauchos drop to 13-13, 9-6.

Guard Tony Brown also scored 11 to aid the Aggie cause. UCSB was led in scoring by Branduinn Fullove and Mike Vukovich with nine points each.

USU had 10 turnovers in the first half and struggled to a 31-27 halftime lead. But a 19-3 run in the first six minutes of the second half, many points coming off of fast breaks, gave USU all the lead and momentum it would need for its 22nd consecutive win at home. The Aggies have won 34 of the last 35 games in the Smith Spectrum.

USU led the entire game, except for a short-llived Gaucho lead, when a three-point shot by Nick Jones gave UCSB a 25-23 lead at 3:26 left in the first half. The Aggies, however, outscored Santa Barbara 52-23 in the second half.

The win keeps USU firmly in second place in the conference, while UCSB is wrestling with Long Beach State for third or fourth place. UC Irvine, at 14-1 after a Thursday night victory, has clinched the conference championship and will enter the Big West Conference Tournament as the top seed. The tournament begins Thursday, March 8 in Anaheim, Calif.

UC SANTA BARBARA

Hull 3-11 0-1 8, Fullove 3-10 3-3 9, Vukovich 4-12 1-2 9, Atako 1-1 3-4 5, Jones 1-5 0-0 3, King 1-2 1-2 4, Cook 2-4 4-4 8, Ward 0-1 4-4 4, Jardani 0-1 0-0 0, Todd 0-0 0-0 0..

Totals: 15-47 16-20 50.

UTAH STATE

Daniels 2-5 2-2 6, Bobb 3-7 0-0 9, Jorssen 8-12 1-2 17, Rock 4-5 0-0 9, Brown 3-7 2-2 11, Vincent 1-3 0-0 3, Vague 2-2 0-0 4, Ray 2-2 2-2 6, Bailey 3-4 0-0 6, Johnson 2-2 3-4 8, Evans 1-1 2-2 4, Napier 0-2 0-0 0.

Totals: 31-52 12-14 83.

Halftime UCSB 27 USU 31.

3-point goals — UCSB 4-15 (Hull 2-5, Jones 1-3, King 1-2, Fullove 0-4, Cook 0-1), USU 9-20 (Bobb 3-7, Brown 3-6, Rock 1-2, Vincent 1-3, Johnson 1-1).

Fouled out — none.

Rebounds- UCSB 21 (Ward 6), USU 35 (Jorssen 10).

Assists – UCSB 9 (Ward 3) USU 19 (Rock 5).

Total fouls- UCSB 17, USU 19.

Technical fouls: none

Attendance: 7,127.