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A poor first half was the Aggies undoing Thursday at the Yuengling Center in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Utah State struggled to score and couldn't slow the Bulls down in the first 20 minutes of play in its first true road game of the season. That proved to ultimately be the difference in a 74-61 loss against South Florida as the Aggies tasted defeat for the first time this season.
"I tip my hat to South Florida," USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. "I thought they totally man handled us on both sides of the ball. They were disruptive with their defense. They were the more physical team tonight."
The Aggies (7-1) went more than five-and-a-half minutes without scoring and nearly eight minutes between field goals in the first half. Meanwhile, the Bulls (5-4) would score 15 unanswered points during a 21-2 game-deciding run.
"We got our ass kicked, let's call it like it is," Calhoun said. "That was an old-fashioned ass kicking every step of the way from start to finish. Hopefully our kids respond. Nothing really went well tonight. That was a hard game to watch."
Missed layups and 3-pointers — USU was 1 of 11 from long range to start the game — by the Aggies was compounded by the hosts making 50 percent of their shots from the field and connecting on six shots from beyond the arc.
"They exposed us from a physicality stand point," Calhoun said. "We don't have million dollar big guys, so we have to do the best we can with what we've got. We have to do it collectively. And our guards weren't disruptive at all. They didn't impact the game whatsoever."
USU began the day as one of 16 unbeaten teams in Division I. South Florida bounced the Aggies from those ranks.
A pair of Aggies finished with a game-high 19 points in guards Mason Falslev and MJ Collins Jr. Both had to put up a lot of shots as Collins was 5 of 13 from the field, and Falslev was 7 of 17.
"Our point guard play has been horrendous for two games," Calhoun said. "Our cutting has been really bad. Imposing our will on the glass has been really bad. We let missed shots affect our defense. I think we missed nine layups in the first half. … There is not a ton to be positive about tonight."
Falslev fouled out with 1:43 to play. The junior also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds, dished out two assists and came up with three steals.
Freshman guard Elijah Perryman came off the bench to dish out a team-high five assists. Garry Clark and Adlan Elamin both blocked a pair of shots. Elamin had six points, and Clark grabbed six rebounds.
"I thought Adlan Elamin played a little bit and showed some signs," Calhoun said.
The Bulls had four players reach double digits in scoring. Guard Joseph Pinion led the way with 17 points, making 5 of 9 from long range. Pinion was joined in double-digit scoring by forward Izaiyah Nelson (11), guard Josh Omojafo (10) and guard CJ Brown (10). Nelson finished with a double-double, pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds. Brown finished with five assists.
Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net to start the game. The Aggie shooting woes never really got better, while the Bulls warmed up quickly.
When USU scored its first points — a 3-pointer by Falslev — when the game was already more than three minutes old, and South Florida had scored five points. It got much worse for the visitors.
A trio of treys by the Bulls saw them build an 11-5 lead four-and-a-half minutes into the contest.
The only time the Aggies scored back-to-back buckets in the first half came when Falslev turned a pass from Perryman into a bucket, and Tucker Anderson also scored off a Perryman pass to pull USU within 11-9 at the 14:25 mark.
Then it got ugly, real ugly. South Florida scored six unanswered points. After a pair of free throws by Collins, the Bulls would reel off 15 more straight points, building a 32-11 lead with 7:17 left in the opening half.
South Florida built its biggest lead of the first 20 minutes, 41-18, after a 6-0 run just before halftime.
The hosts took a 41-20 lead into the break as USU shot 24 percent from the field, including just 2 of 14 from 3-point range. South Florida shot 50 percent from the field and made 6 of 16 from long range. The Bulls had 11 fast break points to the Aggies zero.
"We tried to be positive; there really isn't much you can do as a coach during a game," Calhoun said. "I thought our staff was pretty positive with them. At halftime, we asked them what we wanted to try and accomplish. … Credit to them (Bulls)."
Falslev and Elamin hit 3-pointers early in the second half to cut into the deficit. USU used a 10-3 surge to get within 50-35 with 12:25 to play as Elamin had another trey.
But the Bulls answered with a 8-1 run. Pinion hit a 3-pointer to give the hosts a 58-36 lead midway through the second half.
The Aggies showed some life the late going. Collins and Jordy Barnes both turned steals into fastbreak buckets. Collins drained three free throws to get USU within 67-53 with 4:09 left in the contest.
The closest the Aggies got was the final score as Collins knocked down a pair of free throws and Clark turned an offensive rebound into a bucket.
"We put them at the line 32 times, and they outrebounded us," Calhoun said. "They really just out toughed us. There really isn't a lot to say. Hopefully we respond. We play in a couple of days. It's hard to win on the road in college basketball.
"… We have lacked humility and leadership. This is a different team, wonderful group of kids, but lack humility. The preparation has not been good for six days. We need our older guys who have been part of winning teams to take charge, not just the coaching staff. Hopefully we will prepare better."
