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LOGAN — Fresh off back-to-back thrilling wins and a 10-1 record at home, it's difficult to discredit the magic that has been in the air when Utah State plays in Cache Valley this season.
For its biggest home game to date, though, the Aggies weren't content to leave it up to some mystical forces that permeates the confines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
In front of 8,851 fans late Wednesday night, nearly half of whom were students repping colorful T-shirts to match the fall-colored seats in honor of "Spectrum Magic" night, Utah State delivered one of its best efforts of the season against a New Mexico squad projected to make the NCAA Tournament.
The Aggies dominated the first 20 minutes and surged to a 19-point halftime lead, then produced enough offense down the stretch to stave off an unrelenting Lobos squad to win 84-73. It's the first Quad 1 win of the season for the Aggies.
More significantly, though, it was a statement win that keeps Utah State one game back in the conference title race and loudly suggests it belongs in the NCAA Tournament at-large conversion.
"I thought our guys were dynamite today," Utah State head coach Ryan Odom said. "From the very beginning, obviously, everyone knew — both teams, both fan bases knew this was an important game. They're all important in conference play, but you can only play the one on that particular day. Our guys were ready, they weren't tentative, they played a very balanced game in a lot of ways."
The effort was strong across the board, too.
Sean Bairstow matched his career high of 20 points; Steven Ashworth had 19 points, of which he was 9-of-9 from the charity stripe; and Dan Akin muscled in 16 points and six rebounds. As a team, the Aggies shot 46% from the field, were aggressive as they attacked the hoop, and finished a season-high 27-of-31 from the free-throw line.
With the intensity palpable in the arena 30 minutes prior tip-off, and a student section already filled to the brim, the Aggies players elevated their play in the opening minutes and forced four turnovers, which translated into 11 points. It reached a crescendo at the end of the first half when three straight offensive rebounds resulted in an open Max Shulga 3-pointer to give the Aggies a 44-25 lead just before halftime.
An hour later, the Aggies had matched last season's win total of 18 games and booted the Lobos down to fifth place in the Mountain West standings.
"Obviously, a great game and a great atmosphere," Odom said. "Tremendous crowd tonight; great to have our students packed like that for Spectrum Night. Really proud of the effort and excited for our guys."
Utah State played its best defense of the season in the opening 20 minutes, where it congested the paint with its bigs and contained the dynamic guard duo of Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. The Lobos shot just 40% from the field in the first half, while its two stars combined on 4-of-14 shooting for 9 points.
Richard Pitino's squad, which went undefeated in nonconference play and was previously ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 three days earlier, refused to roll over and quit.
New Mexico matched the arena's intensity in the second half and shot 56% from the field to dig out of a first-half deficit. House finished with 14 second-half points and center Morris Udeze added 10, and the Lobos cut the Aggies lead to nine with 6:33 remaining in the game.
But Utah State's offense assured the comeback fell short.
Ashworth curled off a screen by Taylor Funk, received the dribble handoff from Dan Akin, and buried a top of the key 3-pointer. A sequence later, Ashworth was double teamed at the perimeter and found a rolling Akin for a wide open dunk.
The two plays ignited an 11-5 run, which was capped off by an Ashworth floater, to help the Aggies take a 15-point lead with 4:49 to play — all but sealing the win.
"After half, we knew that they were going to be aggressive in transition, and we certainly got beat at times," Odom said. "One of the biggest things for us was that we had to keep scoring. We had some droughts — we had a little bit of a drought there halfway through. They closed the gap significantly and our guys had to answer with our own baskets and free throws and things of that sort to be able to finish the game out."
Tied with Nevada for third place at 7-3 in conference, Utah State opens a pivotal February with a big conference win. The Aggies will need that Spectrum Magic to stick around down the stretch, though.
"At the same time, we're understanding of the fact that it doesn't mean much other than we've got Colorado State coming up next," Odom said of the significance of the win. "We've got to be focused on the next game. That's what this conference is all about. Nobody's getting into the tournament right now; it's a long way from that."
