| Aggies
start slow, finish big, move to 5-0
By Craig Morris
December 3, 2008 | Tyler Newbold carried Utah State
on his back with 21 points, seven rebounds and five
assists as the Ags beat the Anteaters, 74-62, at the
Spectrum.
UC Irvine was determined not to let the Aggie post
players hurt them, so it was up to Newbold and the rest
of the guards to carry the scoring load.
The Ags kept shooting well as a team, hitting 62.5
percent from the field and 47.4 percent from beyond
the arc. It was defense that gave them problems.
The Anteaters, led by Michael Hunter with 17 points,
didn't have a very hard time scoring most of the game.
They held the lead most of the first half, but went
into the break knotted at 36.
The two teams traded baskets to start the second half
as the Ags slowly built their lead. With just under
eight minutes remaining in the game, the score was 56-51.
Then the home team went on a 10-0 run in the next three
minutes to seal the deal.
UC Irvine double- or triple-teamed the Aggie big men
the entire night, but Gary Wilkinson came away with
eight points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists.
Tai Wesley had another stellar game as he scored 10
points to go along with eight boards, four assists,
four steals and three blocks.
"Obviously, their inside presence is one of the
most dominant attacks in the country," said UC
Irvine head coach Pat Douglass.
It was not a complete game for the Aggies by any standard,
but Deremy Gieger was a bright spot off the bench as
he sparked the team with 14 points, including 2 of 2
on three-pointers.
"I thought Irvine came with a great game plan,
doubling our posts and seeing how we responded, and
we didn't respond very well. We had a couple of guys
save the bacon -- Deremy Geiger off the bench and Tyler
Newbold had a huge night, thank goodness," said
USU coach Stew Morrill.
The Ags had better improve in a hurry, as they play
in-state rival BYU on Saturday at the Energy Solutions
Arena. Should Brigham Young beat Weber State, it will
be a battle of the unbeatens in Salt Lake City. The
Cougars lead the all-time series, 134-90.
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