Williams solid in return from thumb injury
After missing 11 games with a ligament tear in his left thumb, Utah State guard Kevin Williams came off the bench to score seven points in 14 minutes Thursday against Cal State Fullerton.
Williams checked in with 2:12 left in the first half and the Aggies leading 36-21. As the half was winding down, Williams ended up with the ball under the Utah State basket.
Driving the ball downcourt, Williams hit a running one-hander just inside the three point arc with 1.7 seconds remaining. The basket gave the Aggies a 32-21 halftime lead.
“I was actually trying to draw a foul, but I just put it up and it happened to go in.” Williams said. “It was just a good shot and we needed the momentum to get us going.”
Head Coach Stew Morrill said, “That was quite the shot, but that was just a small part of his contribution. He was passing [and] he was really aggressive offensively.”
Williams finished 3-of-5 shooting and hit one 3-pointer for his seven points. He also pulled down four rebounds, had two assists and two steals.
“That was my job to come off the bench and spark the team a little bit,” Williams said.
Forward Brennan Ray said, “Down the stretch I think Kevin Williams made a huge difference for us.”
The last time Williams played was Dec. 28 against Centenary in the Gossner Foods Classic. He has since been out with his thumb injury.
“It was really frustrating to not be able to get out there and help the team, to contribute, but I knew my time would come,” Williams said.
Williams joined the Aggies as a freshman after redshirting one season at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho, and serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I really haven’t played basketball, I haven’t competed for about a good three years.” Williams said. “I knew it was going to be tough getting back into the flow of things.”
Ray said, “He’s kind of struggled coming off a mission. Now he’s starting to get his game legs, starting to get back into the flow of things. We’re starting to see where [Williams] is putting it together and I think Utah State is going to be in good hands down the road with Kevin.”