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Cold shooting dooms USU in second round of the Dance By
Reuben Wadsworth
Utah State learned that itıs nearly impossible to win when a team misses 21 straight field goal attempts during a stretch and only shoots 28 percent from the field. The University of California at Los Angeles took advantage of the Aggiesı cold shooting and knocked them out of the NCAA tournament with a 75-50 win Saturday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. UCLA was USUıs spoiler in the tourney 31 years ago as well. It wasnıt all bad for the Aggies right at first as they led 9-6 with 16:30 remaining in the first after a Tony Brown 3-pointer. Then the drought began. USU didnıt score a field goal during the next 13:14. Forward Curtis Bobb broke the dry spell with a trey at the 2:39 mark, making the score 24-15. Despite only shooting 16 percent from the field in the first half, USU was only down 11, 30-19, at the intermission. ³I think the kids got a little bit tight and it seemed to compound itself,² said USU assistant coach Randy Rahe. After the intermission the Aggies began to make a run, outscoring the Bruins 11-4 early, closing to within four, 34-30, with 13:26 to go after a Bernard Rock three. Moments later, with the score 36-32, USU looked to cut into the lead even more, but then Dimitri Jorssen was called for a moving screen and the Aggie hopes took a nose dive. Utilizing the full-court press the whole game, UCLA finally wore down the Aggies and made three straight steals and converted them into easy baskets. Within the next 1:30 the Bruins went on an 8-0 tear to close the door on the Aggies for good. ³That was it,² Rahe said of the Jorssen call that ended the Aggie run. ³Theyıre capable of exploding on you a little bit with their athleticism.² ³I think that turned the game around,² Rock said. Bruin big man Dan Gadzuric was a force in the paint all night. He posted a double-double, 16 points and 14 rebounds, and swatted away four Aggie shots. ³Heıs a handful,² Rahe said. Rahe said he was disappointed the Aggies were more timid on Gadzuric than they needed to be. In the first half USU was not aggressive enough and was backing off too much, Rock said. ³We missed shots we usually make,² Rock explained. One Bruin who was making shots and helped deflate the Aggies was long-bomb shooting Jason Kapono, who hit 5-for-7 from 3-point range on his way to 19 points. Shawn Daniels led the Aggies, scoring 11 points. Rock contributed nine and Bobb had seven. Earl Watson was the other Bruin double-figure scorer with 16. Rahe said that after the game the Aggies werenıt hanging their heads. ³Weıve got too many good things to look back on,² he said. Some of those things include a 56-12 record over the last two years, two Big West Conference championships and two NCAA tournament appearances. Fan support ranks up there with the overall record for Rahe. ³If there are better fans anywhere in the nation, I havenıt seen them,² he said. Rahe is already looking forward to next season. ³Next yearıs going to be a fun year,² he said. ³Weıll be better than people think.²
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