Utah State Wins Series Against New Mexico

Utah State has now completed their two game series against the Lobos, winning both games by an average of 34 points. In the second game of the series, Utah State scored 45 points in the first half, holding New Mexico to 18, and 37 in the second half, holding the Lobos to 28.

Justin Bean was the leading scorer, getting 13 points on 6-9 shooting (1-2 from three) and adding 13 rebounds (five defensive, eight offensive), two assists, and two turnovers to his stats. Marco Anthony scored 12 points on 5-10 shooting (1-1 from three) and registered eight rebounds (five defensive, three offensive), four assists, a steal, and three turnovers. Neemias Queta posted 11 points (5-10 shooting) and he also had 13 rebounds (10 defensive, three offensive) in addition to an assist, two steals, three blocks, and two turnovers. Rollie Worster had eight points on 4-7 shooting and grabbed four rebounds, two assists, and three turnovers. Brock Miller made a three pointer and was 1-5 shooting and also added an offensive and defensive rebound, and three steals to his stats.

Off the bench, Steven Ashworth scored 10 points (3-7 shooting; 2-4 from three; 2-2 from the free throw line) and also had five assists, a steal, and two turnovers. Sean Bairstow had two defensive rebounds and a block and scored seven points (2-4 shooting; 3-4 from the free throw line). Alphonso Anderson also scored seven points (2-4 shooting; 1-1 from three; 2-2 from the free throw line) and had a defensive rebound, an assist, and a steal. Trevin Dorius put up six points (3-4 shooting) and in addition had five rebounds (three defensive, two offensive), an assist, a steal, a block, and two turnovers.

As a team, Utah State shot 32-63 (50.8%) and was 7-16 from three (43.8%). New Mexico was 19-61 as a team (31.1%) and was 5-21 from three (23.8%). Utah State was 11-17 on free throws (64.7%) while New Mexico was 3-4 (75%). The Aggies significantly outrebounded New Mexico with a 53-22 advantage and also had a large advantage in assists with a 20-8 advantage. Utah State had 17 turnovers and had six steals and five blocks. New Mexico had 14 and had six steals and four blocks. Utah state had 18 fouls compared to New Mexico’s 17.

The biggest lead for the Aggies in this game was 36 points and they never trailed. Utah State is on a major roll lately with their closest win being a 13 point victory over Northern Colorado on December 19th and losing a close game to BYU on December 6th. The next series is a very anticipated home series against San Diego State. This will be the stiffest competition they have faced since playing BYU and might be the most difficult opponent Utah State has faced this year. There are a couple keys for the Aggies to get a victory over the Aztecs. San Diego State is a great defensive teams so Utah State will need both a great shooting percentage and free throw shooting percentage to make the most out of opportunities to get points and will need to play great defense themselves. Utah State will also need to limit the number of turnovers they give, which has been creeping up, and will need to limit the number of fouls as well. This will be a very important series for both the Mountain West standings and potential to be in the field for March Madness.