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LOGAN — There's something funky brewing in Cache Valley.
That much seems certain after Utah State's latest offensive explosion and double-digit victory on Monday night in the Spectrum.
With an array of weapons at its disposal, the Aggies were unstoppable in a 96-74 win over Santa Clara. The Aggies forced 12 steals that turned into 17 points, they passed for 25 assists, they hit 12 3-pointers, and seven players scored 8 or more points.
At the center of it all was forward Taylor Funk.
The graduate transfer went for 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting, and he had 11 rebounds with five steals. Funk threw down several two-handed slams in transition and pulled up from the logo — the second time this season — to drain a 30-foot 3-pointer.
Funk's 19-point first half helped the Aggies surge to a 50-36 halftime lead.
The rest of the team helped build upon it in the second half; Steven Ashworth was 6-of-8 shooting for 18 points, and Rylan Jones had 9 points, seven assists, and was +32 on the night. The 104th-ranked team the KenPom.com rankings from the West Coast Conference was run out of the gym as the Aggies students chanted "SC high school."
"They're a very tough opponent," Funk said. "Projected second hardest in nonconference. (We) put up a lot of numbers against them."
"I thought the guys did a great job," Utah State head coach Ryan Odom said. "Obviously, Taylor Funk, offensively, was dynamite. I liked our transition offense; it was really good. We were able to find one another and get some clean looks."
For the first time in three seasons, Utah State is 3-0 to start and they've now defeated three different respected mid-major programs by an average of 20 points. Monday night's win was the most emphatic.
Trailing 5-4 early, Funk poked the ball away and slammed down the two-handed hammer on the other end. The next play, Santa Clara turned it over again, and Jones found Funk for another dunk. After a third consecutive turnover, Jones buried a 3-pointer to take an 11-5 lead; and in just 45 seconds of play, the Aggies had 7 straight points, which brought several of the 6,549 in attendance to their feet.
Utah State went on a less dramatic but equally effective run in the second half, too. Santa Clara trailed by 21 and went on an 11-4 run, which cut the Aggies' lead to 74-61 with 9:14 left in the game. The Aggies responded by overwhelming the Broncos.
Sean Bastow had a driving floater in the lane, which was followed by a putback rebound. Dan Akin threw down a dunk. Ashworth hit a 3-point jumper. And in a four-minutes span, the Aggies outscored Santa Clara 16-4 and put the game on ice.
"They maintained the intensity throughout. We had an extremely difficult time guarding them off the 3, off the bounce," Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek said. "You've got to give them a lot of credit. They're a very good, veteran basketball team that plays very well together. Coach Odom does a great job, and what a great home court. What a great place for those guys to compete in."
"I think there was a stretch there where they went on a little run, and our key this year is always being able to answer," Funk said. "Guys got hot. I mean, we can shoot, we got some bigs that can put the ball on the court, and starts on defense as well. So we're really locked in on our defense strategy tonight, and it led to a lot of easy transition points."
Broncos guard Brandin Podziemski averaged 32 points through two games and was 3-of-11 for 12 points against the Aggies. Max Shulga picked up the assignment and kept him uncomfortable throughout.
"Another key was not fouling (Podziemski); and for us, I thought Max did a great job," Odom said. "The discipline that takes to guard a guy that can really score is not easy. I thought Max was great on him and did a great job of staying down, getting there. He gave up one 3 on him where he didn't get a high hand and make him dribble."
Santa Clara's offense managed to score, though. Forward Park Braun stepped up and went 6-of-8 for 14 points, and forward Carlos Marshall Jr. added 10 points. There were stretches of the game where the Broncos imposed their physicality and found success around the rim. It was an effort similar to what the Aggies will see in conference play later this season.
"I don't know what it's like in any other conferences, except for preseason games that we play," center Trevin Dorius said. "But I know that the Mountain West Conference has so many big guys that know how to use their size to take up space. And I feel like tonight was the best showing of that we've seen so far."
The Aggies' ability to facilitate turnovers and dominate on the other end of the court, though, proved too much to handle. Utah State shot 51% from the field, and went 39% from 3-point range, hitting 12 3-pointers.
Moving on to face another WCC school in San Diego on the road Thursday, the Aggies are 48th the Ken Pom rankings and are brimming with confidence in the early season.
"This is a mature team," Funk said. "We're on a mission right now."
If there are any concerns from Monday night, it'd be Ashworth limping off the floor at the end of the game — Odom said it was a turned ankle. But for the most part, it's been a dream start to the season for the Aggies. Having a player like Funk, who was +24 on the night and looked like the best player on the court undoubtedly helps.
"It's November 14th right? It's not March. We have a long way to go at this point," Odom said. "And so our goal is to continue to get better every day, and Taylor's a big part of that."
