Utah State scores 12th win of the season over East Tennessee State
Finding nonconference opponents to come to the Spectrum to face the Aggies is always difficult for Utah State. And it’s even tougher around the holidays.
So, USU head coach Danny Sprinkle was extremely grateful that a team from the Volunteer State volunteered to travel all the way to Cache Valley three days before Christmas.
“They played just 48 hours ago and had to travel across the country, so I’m grateful for them making the trip to Logan,” Sprinkle said following the Aggies’ 80-65 victory over East Tennessee State Friday night.
“It’s hard to get teams to come here and compete in this environment, so that shows you that they’re a quality program and they take pride in what they do,” he said.
Sprinkle said the Buccaneers (7-4) looked a bit tired after beating UMKC, 70-57, in Johnson City, Tennessee, on Wednesday, which certainly helped the hosts pull away in the second half for their 11th straight victory.
“That starting five is like a Mountain West team,” Sprinkle noted. “But they didn’t have the same juice tonight that I saw on tape. I was very worried about them because I know they’re fast and athletic and strong. But I do think that playing 48 hours ago benefited us.”
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The Aggies (12-1), who hadn’t played since last Saturday’s win over San Francisco at the Delta Center, can now enjoy an even lengthier break. Utah State opens Mountain West Conference play on Jan. 2 at Air Force, and is looking far more formidable than the preseason poll that predicted a ninth-place finish in Sprinkle’s first season at the helm.
“It’s a great feeling,” USU guard Darius Brown II said of the Aggies’ 12 wins in 13 games. “But like coach says, we’re now 0-0. Conference is a whole new season.”
Brown, who played all but 97 seconds of Friday’s win, led the Aggies with 19 points, while going 7 for 11 from the field and 4 for 5 from the free-throw line. The nation’s leader in assist-to-turnover ratio also delivered eight assists without turning the ball over while shouldering a heavier offensive load due to first-half foul trouble by USU’s leading scorers Great Osobor and Ian Martinez.
“Teams play me differently,” Brown explained. “Some play me as a passer and want to make score, and some teams play me as a scorer and they want to make me pass and get the ball out of my hands. This was a game where they kind of played off of me and were making me try to score. And once I started scoring, it kind of opened things up for everyone else to get shots.”
Utah State, which trailed by as many as five points in the first half, turned to a smaller, quicker lineup about 10 minutes into the game without Osobor on the floor. During that stretch, 7-foot center Issac Johnson cleaned up on the boards — the American Fork High product ended up with a career-high eight rebounds — while the guards and wings put together a 9-0 scoring run to give the Aggies the lead for good.
The hosts, who shot just 39.3% in the first half as a team, still led 32-27 at halftime, and then pulled away in the second half as Osobor and Martinez slowly came to life in a game that featured 51 total fouls.
After combining for zero field goals and just three points in the first half, Osobor (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Martinez (13 points) ended up shouldering the offensive load later in the game. Guards Josh Uduje (12 points) and Mason Falslev (nine points, 10 rebounds) also contributed strong outings for the Aggies, while sophomore guard Javon Jackson knocked down a key 3-pointer in each half.
“Javon was a huge spark plug for us,” Sprinkle said. “He made those two big shots, but his defensive intensity was great.”
Playing in front of a crowd of 6,804 fans but without cheerleaders, Aggiettes or Big Blue, who are all in Boise for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Saturday, Utah State ended up shooting 46.3% for the game, including a 6-for-18 performance from 3-point range.
The Aggies, who played without Max Agbonkpolo, who is likely out for the season following foot surgery, won despite not having a 20-point scorer.
Conversely, the Buccaneers had a 30-point scorer in Jaden Seymour and a 20-point scorer in Quimari Peterson. But East Tennessee shot just 33.3% for the game, went 4 for 25 from 3-point range and 21 for 35 at the line, after knocking down a mere 4 of 13 free throws in the first half.
“Great effort by our squad. We have guys battling who are exhausted, and that’s something you want,” ETSU head coach Brooks Savage said. “We know how hard you have to play and how connected you need to be. ... Coming in and competing on a quick turnaround off a long flight with the adversity in the ballgame was an impressive effort, and I’m really proud of the guys.”
