SDSU turns up the pressure, uses late run to beat USU for ninth-straight time


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LOGAN — With 12:46 to play in the game, the USU faithful thought the momentum had changed in their favor. Jalen Moore had just dunked on 6-foot-10-inch Malik Pope and converted the traditional three-point play to tie the game at 42.

"I just saw an open lane and just took off," Moore said. "He just happened to be there so that was pretty much what happened. It was a great play. It felt good, especially in front of the home crowd. … It was a big turning point for us. We got some momentum and then we didn't really play well off that."

Unfortunately for the Aggies, Moore's dunk seemed to wake the Aztecs up. SDSU (15-10, 7-6 MWC) went on a 15-3 run over the next six minutes to take control and held on for the 66-62 win on Wednesday night inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. It was the ninth-straight win for the Aztecs over USU (11-14, 5-9 MWC) since the Aggies joined the Mountain West Conference in 2013.

"Obviously a huge game for us," USU head coach Tim Duryea said. "In the second half we were about as poor offensively as you could be in a half. … I thought our poorest half of the year."

SDSU guards Trey Kell and Jeremy Hemsley combined to score 25 of the 24 Aztec points in the second half.

However, the difference was the defense of the Aztec guards against USU's freshman backcourt of Koby McEwen and Sam Merrill. McEwen and Merrill combined to go 1-of-11 from the field in the first half for just three points. Although the duo finished with a combined 25 points, they were a combined 2 of 11 from beyond the 3-point line and had seven turnovers between them.

San Diego State guard Trey Kell (3) and Utah State guard Shane Rectorscramble for a loose ball during an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, in Logan, Utah. (Eli Lucero/Herald Journal via AP)
San Diego State guard Trey Kell (3) and Utah State guard Shane Rectorscramble for a loose ball during an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, in Logan, Utah. (Eli Lucero/Herald Journal via AP)

"I thought their guards played with a lot of poise," Duryea said. "Played with a lot of mental toughness on the road, continued to run their team and just did a really good job. Our guys (McEwen and Merrill) got sped up a little bit. Our guards made some uncharacteristic plays for them, missed some good looks. A few times took some bad shots but just overall, that's a tough duo (Hemsley and Kell) to play against and they played well tonight."

Moore finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-15 from the field, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. However, Moore's last bucket came with 6:12 left in the game, which hurt the Aggies down the stretch.

"It was no different than the rest of the game really," Moore said in reference to the SDSU defense. "Little bit more denial. That was about it. I probably should have done a better job of getting open and stuff like that. But I was driving the ball and I would have two-three guys collapse on me. I had to pass it. I shot a couple of bad shots but I was just trying to make something happen."

The Aggies now go on a two-game road trip. Saturday, they are at Nevada and then next Wednesday at San Jose State. USU beat Nevada 74-57 on Feb. 1, and the Aggies haven't played San Jose State this season.


Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs. He is a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias

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