Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Utah State
'Dogs Fall to Sharp-Shooting Aggies
1/5/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LOGAN, Utah - Jonathan Wills netted a team-best 16 points, but the Bulldogs couldn't contain the lights-out shooting by defending Western Athletic Conference champion Utah State in a 72-53 road loss on Thursday night.
Preston Medlin scored game-high 19 points to lead Utah State, who converted 28 of its 43 field goal attempts for a 65.1 percent clip - the highest mark allowed by a Bulldogs team in recent history.
Kyisean Reed added 16 points on 7 of 8 shooting and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for the Aggies (9-6, 1-0 WAC). Morgan Grim scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Utah State, who has now won its past 33 straight WAC home games, a school record, and 42 of its last 43 overall.
"We were not able to get stops," Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry said. "They (Utah State) made a couple of huge shots at the end of the shot clock and really played well tonight. We got great looks early in the game and missed them."
Along with the team-high 16 points, Wills added four rebounds and a pair for the Bulldogs (7-9, 0-1 WAC) while Jerry Brown scored 14 and Kevin Olekaibe chipped in 11 points - all in the first half - for Fresno State, who had its three-game winning streak snapped.
"I was extremely worried about Fresno State," Utah State head coach Stew Morrill said of the Bulldogs. "They were coming off a number of wins. They throttled Boise State the other night, and we knew they were going to come in and play."
Despite a primarily cold-shooting night, the 'Dogs did hit three of their first four shots to jump out to an early 7-3 lead three minutes into the game, but the Aggies continued to pound the paint and later scored 13 unanswered points to cruise to a 37-24 halftime lead. At the break, USU had drained 14-of-20 from the field, including a 4-for-5 rate from beyond the 3-point line.
Utah State broke Fresno State's press for several breakaway layups and continued its efficient offensive assault in the second half to finish with the 65.1-37.9 shooting percentage edge over the 'Dogs.
"We have to continue to get stronger," Terry said. "We have to build our bodies up. We have to be strong enough to finish possessions. We have to have the energy and effort. We didn't have that tonight."
"We Are Your Team!" - The Bulldogs continue Western Athletic Conference play at Idaho on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on the WAC Sports Network, which is available on KAIL 53 (Comcast Cable Channel 13) in the San Joaquin Valley. You can also listen to the games on KMJ 580 AM. Be sure to follow @RodneyTerry on Twitter for updates from the road.
