Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LOGAN — An overtime win over Fresno State during the winter break? Check.
A huge road win at UNLV? Check.
Following up that huge road win with an impressive home win against a team that ranks 280th nationally in raw offensive efficiency? Colorado State made sure that didn't happen.
Prentiss Nixon had a game-high 26 points playing with a knee injury, and the Rams came out of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum with an impressive 84-75 win over Utah State on Wednesday night.
"Give Colorado State credit," USU head coach Tim Duryea said. "I thought they were tremendous. I thought they had a great plan … give them a lot of credit. We didn't respond well. Like I told the players in the locker room after the game, 'this one's on me.' I didn't have them ready to face what they were going to face. I didn't have them ready to respond the way we needed to respond."
Coming into Wednesday night, USU was 3-1 in conference play and 7-1 at home. The Aggies had won five of their previous six games
However, the Aggies came out flat-footed in the first half and Colorado State took full advantage of it. The Rams used a 13-2 run to end the first half and took a 41-31 lead into the locker room.
Colorado State guard J.D. Paige held reigning Mountain West Conference Player of the Week Koby McEwen to just two points in the first half.
The Rams' defense, as a whole, held USU to just 37.8 percent shooting, including a 4-of-17 performance from beyond the arc.
Koby McEwen attacks the rim and scores! #AggiesAllTheWaypic.twitter.com/5izvLto0j7
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 11, 2018
"We knew we had a chance to get another big win, get ourselves to 4-1 and put ourselves in a good position," USU guard Sam Merrill said. "It's a tough loss for us. Credit them for coming in here … they were a desperate team and played more desperately than we did, and you got to give them credit."
Coming out flat-footed seemed to be the trend of the night for the Aggies. Colorado State began the second half on a 7-0 run, thanks to USU turning the ball over on its first four possessions of the half.
Nixon decided to go off in the second half, as well. The junior guard scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half and hit two monster 3-pointers late in the half. The first 3-pointer came as the shot clock was running down to give the Rams a 69-56 lead with 4:46 left to play.
Following a 3-pointer on the other end by Diogo Brito that made it a 10-point ballgame, Nixon hit another 3-pointer with a hand in his face. Colorado State never looked back.
"We dug ourselves a hole on the scoreboard but also mentally," Duryea said. "The first half we were just stymied. We didn't move the ball. We didn't move ourselves. We were extremely stagnant on the offensive end. … Disappointing, but give them a lot of credit."
The road doesn't get any easier for the Aggies. USU travels to Reno to take on Mountain West Conference-leading Nevada in a late Saturday night tipoff. What would have been a game for first place in the conference has turned into a get-back-in-the-winning column game for USU.
"Tomorrow, when we come in, we've got to have this one flushed," Duryea said. "I think they have enough respect for the talent that Nevada has, and their preseason record and schedule kind of speaks for itself. … We've got to play much better, obviously, Saturday than we did tonight."
Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
#box
