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LOGAN — There’s a first for everything. After the first game of the season, the Cougars’ hard loss against the Aggies (62-69) leaves BYU hoping that Friday night will be the first and only time for many of its struggles.
Halfway through the first half, the Cougars led the game — kicked off with a 3-pointer from Charles Abouo.
But with a little over nine minutes left in the half, Utah State University guard Preston Medlin hit a jumper that began the Aggies’ lead that would carry up to the half-time buzzer.
For the Cougars, the timing could not have been worse. By the time Medlin went up for his jumper, BYU was in foul trouble.
Seconds later, BYU subbed out its starting point guard, Brock Zylstra, and starter Charles Abouo, for the less- experienced Craig Cusick and Josh Sharp.
With little game-time experience, Cusick helped the Cougars stay close — the largest lead being four points — to USU for the remainder of the first half.
Even though Cusick was unable to put BYU in the lead, his ability to keep the game in close range was enough for senior forward Noah Hartsock.
“I was really impressed (with) those guys when they came in for our early foul trouble,” Hartsock said. “Craig Cusick came in there and played well, Josh Sharp, Nate Austen … they really kept us in there in the first half. Hopefully that experience can carry over.”
The scoring pattern in the second half was very similar to that of the first. The Cougs led the first halfway and the Aggies the second. Unfortunately for BYU, being behind at the end of the second half meant a loss for the team.
With a little over 10 minutes on the clock, USU’s senior guard Brockeith Pane tied the game at 42. For the next four minutes, the Aggies’ lead continually increased as BYU stayed frozen at 42 points.
One of BYU’s captains, Abouo, noted the pivotal point that the 42-point rut was for the Cougars.
“We had a drought there,” Abouo said. “They took advantage of that, made some plays, got on a run, and we weren’t able to overcome that. That was a crucial moment of the game.”
Quick plays and breakaways weren’t the only hurdles for BYU to combat on Friday, though. The battle for the scoreboard possession carried well past the wood and up to the very last row of the stands.
They took advantage of that (42-point rut), made some plays, got on a run, and we weren't able to overcome that. That was a crucial moment of the game.
–Charles Abouo
The Spectrum is famous for hosting a student section, the Hurd, that carries some of the most in-sync and loudest chants — “I believe that we will win” and “Winning team/losing team” are the most famous — out of any arena in the nation.
The Aggies Friday night, however, moved from clever to cutting when they began specifically attacking one player. Putting up 13 points and two steals in the second half alone, Brandon Davies was a threat to a USU win.
Occupying the Spectrum with derogatory chants and posters — in reference to Davies’ honor code violation last season — fans had parents covering kids' eyes and ears. Even supposedly unbiased reporters made stabs about Davies through tweets.
With so much attention being put on Davies' return, some honor code references were to be expected.
“It’s a college atmosphere, and they can cheer whatever they want,” Hartsock said. “That’s just one of the factors that we have to deal with as players. It was tough to hear, but he’s very tough-minded.”
In-state rivalry games are known to exhaust players emotionally and physically. But the Cougars walked away from their Friday night loss ready to address many issues exposed in this first game. Once addressed, they “believe that (they) will win” on Tuesday against BYU-Hawaii.
