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BOSTON -- After a heart breaking one point loss to the Utes Wednesday night the Utah State Aggies look to take care of business against the Northeastern University Huskies (0-1) from the Colonial Athletic Conference. This is the last stop on the Aggies three game road trip.
Utah State (1-1) lost to the University of Utah Wednesday night, 67-68. The Aggies led by seven with 12:54 to go in the game, but the Utes went on an 11-0 run to take a 51-47 lead. Senior guard Jared Quayle hit a 3-point shot with 5:34 left in game to give the Aggies a one point lead.
But Ute junior guard Carlon Brown answered back with a 3-point shot of his own and the Utes would never trail again. Utah State had a chance to tie the game in the end, but Quayle and Aggie junior guard Tyler Newbold both missed wide open 3-point attempts. Quayle had a monster night with 27 points and 11 rebounds, both career highs, but it wasn't enough to secure an Aggie victory.
"That was a little tough to swallow. Give them credit, they found a way to win and we also found a way to give it away. We had a bunch of turnovers and a lot of wide open shots that we didn't make," said Aggie Head Coach Stew Morrill.
The Huskies lost their season opener to Siena University Tuesday night at Siena, 59-53. Senior guard Matt Janning led the way for the Huskies with 14 points, and junior guard Chaisson Allen chipped in eleven.
The Huskies led the Saints by as much as 14 points in the second half, but Siena went on a 23-7 run to overcome the deficit and claim a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Turnovers plagued the Huskies who committed 16 and only dished out eight assists.
The Aggies and Huskies have not played since 1986 in the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska. The Huskies won that game, 96-91. Under coach Morrill the Aggies are 16-15 in games played in the afternoon. Coach Morrill has also never faced a team from the Colonial Athletic Conference.
The Huskies were 19-13 overall and advanced to the post-season last year. Northeastern lost their conference quarterfinal game to Towson, 58-54. The Huskies were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they beat Wyoming on the road, 64-62, in the first round and lost to UTEP on the road, 77-65.
Avoiding turnovers will be a key factor for the Aggies today as they have averaged 17 per game over their first two games. The Aggies will need to see improved performances from guards Newbold and Brian Green who are both averaging double digits.
The Aggies also need to find their range as they are only hitting 34.5 percent of their 3-point shots. Utah State however is shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 86.1 percent from the charity stripe.
Tipoff is set for 10 a.m. MST from Matthews Arena in Boston, Mass.
