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LOGAN — Utah State overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to beat in-state rival Weber State 72-61. Utah State freshman David Collette led the Aggies with 22 points and sophomore Jalen Moore added 20. The Aggies used a 32-6 run to start the second half to take a 61-53 lead and never looked back.
Utah State struggled defensively, allowing Weber State to shoot 57 percent in the first half. The Wildcats out-executed the Aggies and jumped out to a 47-29 halftime lead. Utah State, on the other hand, couldn’t get anything going in the first half. Foul trouble and missed free throws got the Aggies into an early hole.
“I think it was nerves, coming out of our first exhibition game. We knew they were going to come in and play hard, and they took it to us that first half,” said USU forward David Collette.
The second half was a different story for Utah State. After allowing 47 first-half points, coach Stew Morrill made some second-half adjustments and the Aggies played much more aggressively.
Collette, who sat out much of the first half with foul trouble, stayed aggressive in the second half and finished the game with five steals and two blocks.
I think it was nerves, coming out of our first exhibition game. We knew they were going to come in and play hard, and they took it to us that first half.
–David Collette
“That zone helped a ton, we were moving around getting deflections, steals and rebounds,” he said. "Rebounds helped a lot, we got settled into the game and started playing our game”
After a David Collette dunk that put the Aggies ahead 55-53, Utah State never looked back and accelerated to the finish.
After the game, Weber state head coach Randy Rahe said his team played on its heels in the second half and that the crowd affected their younger guys.
“They came out in the second half with not much to lose and decided to be in attack mode, and we didn’t handle it very well,” Rahe said.
“We weren’t as aggressive in the first half, and they got more aggressive. It’s all about who is the more aggressive team, who’s in attack mode. We were the first half, they were the second half. We got on our heels, we didn’t move the ball and we only had one assist in the second half,” he said
The win gives Utah State some much-needed confidence as three of its next four games are on the road.
Side notes
After shooting 37 percent in the first half, Utah State shot 56 percent in the second half. Weber State, on the other hand, started out the game shooting 58 percent and shot just 17 percent in the second half, shooting 4-of-23 in the second half. The Aggies outscored the Wildcats 43-14 in the second half.
