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Cal State Fullerton to test Aggies in Big West opener
By Wade Denniston
With its 82-73 loss Saturday to Brigham Young University at the Spectrum, Utah State University also lost its 13-game home winning streak. The Aggies also saw their Spectrum record fall to 45-3 over the last 48 games, 7-1 this season. No worries, however, as Utah State continues its season-long home stand Thursday by hosting California State University at Fullerton, in a Big West Conference opener for both teams. USU has done extremely well at home in conference games over the past couple of seasons, racking up a 25-1 record, with its only blemish coming last season to the University of California at Santa Barbara, a 66-65 overtime loss. Over the past six seasons in league action, the Aggies have had a .500, or better, winning percentage, as well as posted a 68-34 conference record in that span. Cal State Fullerton should be a worthy opponent as USU tries to begin a new winning streak at home, as well as start BWC play on the right foot. The Titans enter the game with a 5-6 record, while the Aggies are 9-5. CSF is coming off a loss to San Diego University, 78-72, which Utah State beat in the Gossner Foods Classic championship game in overtime, 68-65. Before that loss, the Titans had won four in a row. Leading the way for Cal State Fullerton this year is senior forward Ike Harmon, who is averaging 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 44 percent from the floor and 63 percent from the free-throw line. Harmon also leads the team in blocks with 12. Besides Harmon, two other Titans are averaging in double figures as junior center Matt Caldwell is posting 12.7 points a game and senior Mark Murphy is putting up 11.5. The last time USU and CSF met was on Feb. 4, 1999, an 88-78 Titan win in Fullerton, Calif. Prior to that contest, the Aggies had won 10 in a row dating back to the 1992-93 season. Senior forward Troy Rolle led all Utah State scorers in last year's game as he put up 18 points. Sophomore guard Tony Brown came off the bench to score 15. Since joining the Big West before the start of the 1988-89 season, USU has won four straight conference openers (4-1) at home, with its only loss coming to Fresno State University, 76-72, during the 88-89 campaign. The Aggies have had nearly the same success on the road in Big West openers, going 4-2. USU head coach Stew Morrill is 2-1 all-time vs. Cal State Fullerton, with his only loss coming last year. The game will tip-off at 7:05 p.m.
Notes: *The Aggies are 8-0 when leading at halftime, 7-2 when they score 70 plus points, and 7-0 when they give up fewer than 60 points. *Morrill is 20-3 at the Spectrum since becoming Utah State's coach. *Sophomore guard Tony Brown is a perfect 23-of-23 from the charity stripe. As a freshman last year, he started the season 21-for-21. *USU is 4-0 this year vs. the state of California, defeating the University
of Southern California (52-50), the University of California at San
Diego (82-58), San Diego and Fresno State (83-66).
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Archived Months:
September
1998 |
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