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Aggies beat Fullerton, stay tied for first place in Big West Conference By
Landon Olson Before Thursday, when opponents were held under 60 points, the Utah State basketball team was 12-0 this season. Make it 13-0. The Aggies held Cal State Fullerton to just 45 points on 17-of-47 shooting in defeating the Titans, 60-45, Thursday in the Spectrum. The victory extends Utah State's winning streak to a season-high six games. The Aggies have now held their opponents under 60 points in five of the last six games. "Our defense has been solid," coach Stew Morrill said. "We've taken some pride in it. It was the thing that was the constant last year down the stretch and hopefully it can be constant the rest of the year." Utah State jumped out to a four-point lead barely four minutes into the game, but the Titans kept things close for much of the first half. With 8:17 remaining in the half, the Titans closed the Aggie lead to 18-17, but both teams would go on a drought. The Aggies finally scored on a Desmond Penigar jumper with 5:03. The Titans would score again with 4:10 remaining. Following the basket, the Aggies put pressure on Fullerton. The Utah State press would spark a 14-4 run, capped by a running one-hander through traffic by freshman guard Kevin Williams to end the half. "It was just a good shot and we needed the momentum to get us going," Williams said. "We were struggling a little bit in the first half. That was my job to come off the bench and spark the team a little bit." Leading 32-21 to start the second half, the Aggies didn't let-up. Utah State did have a three-minute dry spell, but it was ended with an 11-0 run to seal the game. Utah State would coast on to the 60-45 win. For the game, the Titans were held to just 36 percent shooting compared to 43 percent by the Aggies. Fullerton also committed 17 turnovers and was out-rebounded 38-26. The Aggies had 13 steals in the game, a new season high. "Our defense and our rebounding, when you get in kind of an ugly game like tonight, it will keep you going," Morrill said. Fullerton's Pape Sow led all scorers, finishing with 17 points. Utah State's scoring leaders, guard Tony Brown and forward Penigar, only combined for 13 points. Together they average 34.4 points per game. Penigar finished with 11 and Brown had a season-low of two. Morrill said it's great for the team to be able to win by 15 when the two leading scorers have an off night. Center Jeremy Vague picked up some of the slack, scoring 14. With Brown and Penigar struggling offensively, Morrill said the bench was the key to the game. "[The bench] played with a lot of energy and they were excited to be out there," Morrill said. "They played aggressively. The bench was as good as it's been all year long." Five players off the bench reached double-digits in minutes. "That's the most minutes our bench has gotten, and they deserved it," Morrill said. Forward Brennan Ray played 18 minutes off the bench, scoring eight points and tying his career high with 10 rebounds. After missing the last 11 games with a torn ligament in his left thumb, Williams played 14 minutes for the Aggies. He finished the game with seven points and four rebounds. "I thought Kevin [Williams] was good tonight," Morrill said. "He was passing, he was looking to be aggressive offensively. For him to check in and be that comfortable says something about a little bit of poise." Ray said, "[Williams] embodies the team. He hustles, tries to make smart plays. He's not too fancy with the ball. He's a solid basketball player and that's the thing that's made this program so successful." Utah State is now 19-4 and tied for first place in the Big West Conference. On Saturday, the Aggies will return to action when they meet the University of California, Riverside at 7:05 p.m. in the Spectrum. This is the second meeting between the two teams this season. Previously, the Aggies defeated Riverside 68-42 in California.
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