Aggies rally once again, this time from 15 down to win


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LOGAN — For the third straight game Utah State came back from a double-digit first-half deficit to sneak away with 60-54 win over Santa Clara.

Down 18-3 early in the first half the Aggies (3-0) chipped away and got to within five points at the close of the first half. Slow starts have plagued Utah State coach Stew Morrill’s team all year forcing the Aggies to scrap their ways back into games.

“I don't have an answer to why we start out every game so poorly," Morrill said. "I think we're a little nervous, the other team kind of jumps on us and we panic a little bit. Inexperience might be the right word, I don't know."

Utah State Sophomore Jalen Moore led the comeback with 15 points, six boards and three blocked shots.

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“I think it is good that we never quit, we need to start playing two halves,” Moore said. “We found a way to grind it out and get the win. We kept fighting to the end. That’s what’s great about this team.”

The game went back in forth in the second half. It wasn’t until the 3:57 mark in the second half that the Aggies finally took the lead.

Junior Chris Smith hit a huge 3-pointer from the corner making the score 47-46, and the Aggies never looked back. Smith was huge for the Aggies finishing with a career-high 14 points, including big free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

For the Aggies they feel fortunate to be undefeated.

“I don't know if it's a win we necessarily deserved, but we'll take it," Morrill said. "We got outrebounded, we shot a poor percentage, but we made some shots when we had to, we took care of the ball and kept fighting, those are all good things.

"I told the players we don't have to give it back. It wasn't pretty, but we don't have to give it back. It's a win," Morrill joked.

The Aggies next face the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-0) in Mississippi. A road win against an SEC opponent would be huge for the confidence of the young Utah State team.

Side notes: Utah State has held each opponent to under 39 percent shooting this year...The Aggies shot 29 free throws making 21, both season highs...Utah State is just 52-95 when trailing after the first half with Morrill as the coach, and this year they are 3-0.

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Matthew Dove

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