Aggies shine on Halloween

Matt Stice
Basketball follow up

On Halloween night, the Aggies got a little scare of their own, At least for the first half of their game against Northwest Nazarene, but pulled together to win 73–46.
Utah State came out very stagnant to start the game off and the Crusaders made it a game for the first half. It wasn’t until the second half that the Aggies finally got some rhythm down and started playing together. The game was good for the Aggies; however there is much work to be done.
Doug Hoffman, assistant AD of media relations for Utah State said, “The team just needs practice time, which they will get, and that is the key.” The team seemed a little unprepared for the Crusaders. The two teams traded baskets back and forth for the first seven minutes of the game and the Aggies found themselves tied with their heavy underdog opponents. The tied wouldn’t last long though as newcomer Jared Quayle hit a 3-pointer to spark a 19-2 rally that would give Utah State the lead for good.
The second half was much like the first half. The Aggies looked sloppy and out of sync as a team. The Crusaders came out of half time looking to cut the lead and did with two early 3-pointers however an Aggies steal ended the scoring run by the Crusaders ended their hope of a Halloween upset.
“There is much room for improvement” said Dave Cochran, a current student who is an avid and loyal Utah State basketball fan.
A bright spot for the Aggies was the play of the newcomers, as Utah State only returns 3 starters and a handful of returning veterans. Jared Quayle scored eight points, while the bulk of the scoring came from the starters. Tia Wesley lead the team in scoring with 18 points and center Gary Wilkinson added 13 points, fellow starter Tyler Newbold contributed nine points in the victory for the Aggies.
“The new players on the team showed inexperience, but showed good signs of what can be improved and what to build on” added Cochran. The Aggies defense was stellar forcing 18 turnovers and forcing the Crusaders to shoot a mere 32 percent from the field.
The Aggies play their final exhibition game on Saturday, Nov 8th when they play host to Concordia University at 7 p.m.