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Aggies survive scare at buzzer to beat Utes, 58-57 By
Doug Layne
The Utah State Aggies survived a flurry of missed field goals and errant tip-ins at the buzzer to defeat their in-state rival, the nationally ranked University of Utah Running Utes, 58-57. "I'm real proud of our kids," USU Coach Stew Morrill said, adding that the fast, tall Utes are a tough opponent. The Aggies got off to a quick start Wednesday night at the Spectrum as they opened the game up with seven unanswered points. But the Utes refused to be give in and went on a run of their own, as they out scored the Aggs seven to two. The first half of play was physical, as the Utes' Kevin Bradley nailed Tony Brown in the head with an elbow, which drew an intentional foul. That sparked both coaches, as they both drew techincals. The first half remained close and both teams were hot. The Aggies shot 43 percent and the Utes shot 54 percent. But it would be the Utes who would take the lead with the help of Phil Cullen, who had the hottest hand early. He nailed his first three shots from behind the 3-point line. On the other end, the Aggies' Brown led all scorers, recording 11 of his 18 points by the break. "In the second half we held them way down to a low percent" Morrill said. The second half was a lot different then the first as the Utes could not buy a shot and only shot 21 percent, while the Aggies shot more than 43 percent in the second half. At times, they took control of the game. Shawn Daniels, who finished the night with 15 points, went in for a lay up midway through the second half to give USU the lead for good. "We found a way to win," Morrill said. The Aggies' defense was definitely a factor in the second half as the Utes went over seven minutes without a field goal and the Aggies outscored Utah 10-2 in one stretch. "We don't have any season leadership," said Utah acting coach Dick Hunsaker, filling in for coach Rick Majerus, who was recovering from knee surgery and did not attend the game. " It comes down to the last shot." The Aggies' Curtis Bobb, fouled on an inbounds play with seconds remaining, missed two free throws to give Utah a chance at a last-second victory. But four shots and tips from close range went awry before the ball was batted away at the buzzer. The Aggies, who have averaged over 18 turnovers a game, only gave the ball away 13 times, a season best. The Aggies will be at home at 7:05 p.m. Saturday as they host Montana Tech.
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