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LAS VEGAS — Running in transition in the second half of Utah State's first-round matchup of the Mountain West Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, Justin Bean dished the basketball back to a driving Sean Bairstow at the top of the key. Bairstow took a dribble, rose up and threw it down by Air Force center Lucas Moerman.
An emphatic poster.
The dunk punctuated a 20-7 second-half run for Utah State, which gave them a 61-39 lead with 10:43 to play. They'd finish the game strong, winning it 83-56 over the Air Force at the Thomas & Mack Center.
It was an emphatic way to open the conference tournament.
"We always feel comfortable going into the game," senior forward Brandon Horvath said. "We prepare very well and we just stuck to the game plan.
"Sean's dunk was awesome," he added. "I see that athleticism all the time in practice. It was nice to see him do it in the game. He had one in San Jose State. I told him he should have dunked it, but he didn't. So it was nice to see him finally do that in the game. I was pumped for that."
Utah State needed to start the tournament at their best; and so far, they look to be doing as much. Five Aggies players had double digits — just the fourth time all season. Horvath had a team high 18 points, Justin Bean added 16 points, and Bairstow, Steven Ashworth and Max Shulga all had 11 points apiece. The Aggies shot 54% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in the win.
SOMEBODY CALL A DOCTOR!!! #MWMadness x @USUBasketballpic.twitter.com/7c9IiQisFu
— KSL.com Sports (@KSLcomSports) March 9, 2022
Much of the offensive success was a result of a strong defensive effort for the Aggies, who held Air Force 3 of 14 from 3-point range and forced 10 turnovers. The turnovers resulted in 20 points on the offensive end.
In the half court, Air Force stuck to their game plan and took their time using the full shot clock. But beyond the 21 points from Joseph Octave, no individual got going for the Falcons, who were forced to settle with 2-point jumpers. The Aggies held the Falcons to just six offensive rebounds.
"I thought our guys were tremendous today," Aggies head coach Ryan Odom said. "I thought the defense was excellent. Any time you're playing coach (Joe) Scott, you've got a bear in terms of preparation and how you're going to defend them."
Offensively, Air Force was outmatched by Horvath on the interior. His presence, height and strength on the court gave Utah State a clear advantage in the half court. Whether it was collecting the ball off the pick and roll or posting up over Moerman, Horvath had 9 first-half points for the Aggies.
"I think my teammates were just looking for me," Horvath said. "We knew going into the game we just scouted them and they switched everything on defense. So I just kept rolling the guards into the post and my teammates kept finding me, and I just got going."
Beyond Horvath, Utah State struggled in the first half to hit open looks; they finished just 36.4% from the field and 23.1% from 3-point range. But the Aggies responded in the second half by shooting 81% from the field and scoring 45 points.
Bean had 12 points in the second half on 5-of-5 shooting, Shulga hit back-to-back corner 3-pointers, and even Connor Odom got in on the fun by coming off the bench and hitting a step-back 3-pointer. Connor's 3-pointer gave the Aggies an 83-53 with 1:10 remaining.
Coming off a hip injury sustained in practice, Ashworth looked like himself and finished with four assists and facilitated much of the second-half action.
"He looked pretty normal to me," Odom said. "He practiced the last couple days right after San Jose. And he's — Steven's a warrior; he's a tough guy."
'An amazing gesture'
Utah State's Max Shulga standing strong for native Ukraine, Aggies' postseason
On Wednesday afternoon, Shulga's heart was still back home, with his family and country mates under an unimaginable burden. But his shot was right in the Thomas & Mack Center, one of five double-digit scorers in a win over the Falcons.The win sends Utah State to the quarterfinals Thursday, where the nationally-ranked Colorado State Rams await for the third time this season. The Aggies have played the Rams tight in both matchups this season, but have stumbled down the stretch to closeout each game.
"We know we're facing a team that's dynamite. Colorado State has had an awesome season," Odom said. "... We know it's going to be really difficult. But we're excited that we're going to have another opportunity."
