Utah State struggled in the first half, falling behind 39-29 which would end up playing a key difference in the outcome of the game as the second half was close and the Aggies lost 67-64. With 2:47 left in the second half, the game was tied at 61 and BYU took a three point lead with 57 seconds left. Utah State made two free throws with 34 seconds left to make it a 64-63 game and with 12 seconds left the game was 65-64 before BYU made two free throws and Utah State missed a three point jumper to end the game.
Neemias Queta was the leading scorer for the Aggies and had 18 points on 7-18 of shooting. He posted 8 rebounds (5 defensive, 3 offensive), four assists, four steals, a turnover and four personal fouls. Marco Anthony scored 17 points (6-12 shooting) and also had 7 rebounds, six defensive one offensive, a steal, three turnovers, and four personal fouls. Rollie Worster scored 15 points on 4 of 14 on shooting but was 7 for 8 on free throws. He had five rebounds, four defensive one offensive, five assists, a block, two turnovers, and three personal fouls. Justin Bean was 1-5 (20%) and made all four of his free throws. He had a team high 13 rebounds (7 defensive, 6 defensive) and two steals, a block, a turnover, and two personal fouls. Brock Miller played the least amount of minutes of the starters, 21 minutes, and made a three pointer (1-4 on shooting, 1-3 from three) and had three defensive rebounds, two turnovers, and two personal fouls.
Coming off the bench Steven Ashworth and Sean Bairstow played 8 minutes and 18 minutes respectively. Ashworth made a three pointer (1-1 of shooting) and Bairstow was 1-5 of shooting and scored two points. Ashworth had a rebound and two turnovers while Bairstow had a steal, a turnover, and three personal fouls.
As a team Utah State was 21-59 of shooting (35.6%) while BYU was 22-55 (40%). BYU also made eight threes while Utah State only made two threes (15.4%) and Utah State missed nine free throws while BYU only missed four. Utah State had 13 turnovers and BYU had 14. Utah State committed 21 fouls compared to BYUs 24.
Despite the statistics in terms of fouls, turnovers, and rebounds being quite close, it was Utah State’s poor shooting percentage that resulted in the Aggies having a hard time keeping up. They weren’t able to score consistently and this was a big reason as to why their biggest lead was 6 compared to BYUs 11. The Aggies need to do a better job of being consistent, especially from the three point line, because 15.4% isn’t going to bode well against many teams.
Utah State was picked to finish near the top of the conference during the preseason and so far they haven’t played up to expectations. With the departure of Sam Merrill the big question for Utah State was who is going to step in and make the plays the keep Utah State offensively competitive and that’s a question that remains to be answered.
Up next for Utah State is Weber State on the road and if the Aggies can have a better offensive game this time around, they’ll stand a good chance of getting a win and figuring things out as a team.