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LAS VEGAS — After an improbable win over Colorado State in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference tournament, Utah State had to feel it could topple any challenge.
After all, the Aggies fought back from a nine-point deficit with 90 seconds left to beat the Rams to move on. Certainly, the fact Utah State had beaten Colorado State twice helped.
That same logic helped San Diego State in the quarterfinal round of the tourney. The Aztecs’ record against the Aggies moved to 3-0, courtesy of a dominating 73-39 win Thursday.
“We played really, really good basketball, keyed by how we defended them,” San Diego State basketball coach Steve Fisher said. “We had been lit up by their three-point shooting at their place. We wanted to make it very difficult for them to get uncontested 3s, and we did.”
From the beginning, Utah State was behind the curve by shooting only 25 percent (5 of 20) from the floor in the first half. The Aztecs took a 36-15 lead at halftime, and then went on a 23-10 run to open the second half.
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Overall, San Diego State statistically dominated the Aggies, beating Utah State in rebounds (35-27), points in the paint (40-14), points off turnovers (22-5), second-chance points (14-5), and bench scoring (27-17).
Utah State coach Stew Morrill said his team was soundly beaten.
“Well, obviously it was quite a comedown from last night's game — disappointing,” Morrill said. “But San Diego State just takes you out of everything you're trying to do. At least they took us out of everything we were trying to do. They're able to switch almost every screen. Their quickness, their athleticism can be overwhelming, and it was today.”
One factor that severely hampered Utah State was the limited play of Spencer Butterfield, who struggled with a lingering hip injury throughout the game. Butterfield, who potentially played his final game as an Aggie, said San Diego State is a strong team.
“They're probably the best we've played against all season long,” said Butterfield, who finished with two points on 1-of-6 shooting. “You can just tell by the score. I don't think we've been even close to being beaten that much.”
San Diego State proved to be worth of its top-10 national ranking by shutting the Aggies down defensively. Utah State made just 12-of-41 shots for 29.3 percent shooting. The Aggies' leading scorer Jarred Shaw had 14 points, while the rest of the team combined for just 25 points. Preston Medlin didn’t make a shot from the field and scored three points at the free-throw line.
With the loss, questions remain as to whether the Aggies will receive an invite to a postseason tournament. The NIT appears to be out of the question, while the CIT is an outside possibility.
Morrill said he is unsure of whether or not an invite will happen.
“We're probably assuming a lot to even think we'd be asked,” said Morrill, whose Utah State team finished the year with an 18-14 record. “I mean, we finished eighth. We just got beat by 35. I mean, who the hell are we to think we might go to postseason? That should have been the first thing I should have said. That's assuming a lot that someone would ask us to continue to play. We don't ever want to snub our nose at anything.”
