USU came out looking about like we've seen them look so far this year offensively. Not the most crisp of things, but able to score on pure talent. Jarred Shaw was at the center of things once again, controlling the paint on both ends of the floor. Dude has established himself quite nicely so far this season, and that's without having the offense feeding him quality looks in the post like it will as these guys learn things better.
As things are, you can tell this team still has a long way to go in learning the offense and really just developing at this level. It's nothing out of the ordinary really, it just takes a bit sometimes, and the more rookies there are, the tougher that process becomes (maybe the same can be said for the crowd?)
Anyway, you could tell for the bulk of the first half that Weber State was the more experienced team, which became especially more obvious because they run such a similar system as we're used to seeing here. For once though, the Aggies got to be the team, who despite being much more raw, was able to capitalize on size and athleticism advantages.
Long story short with the first half: Weber had a slight lead for the bulk of it, but USU overcame sloppy play to keep pace and enter the break tied at 28.
SECOND HALF
Each team shot 2-5 from the free throw line in the first half... In the second half, there were 51 free throw attempts between the two teams. In other words, the game wasn't exactly much of a thriller unfortunately.
USU especially seemed to draw a foul on almost every offensive possession, getting to the bonus with just under 13 minutes to go in the game and the double bonus with 10:44 left. I get that it was two physical teams going after each other, but holy hell stripes, let the boys play a little.
While USU did play some stellar defense in holding WSU to only 34 percent shooting on the game, it seemed like they were allowed to get away with a little bit more for a lengthy stretch in the second half, while anytime a Weber defender breathed a little too hard on a USU guy, the Aggies were going to the free throw line. In other words, the Aggies were getting the Kobe Treatment.
Not to say the Wildcats didn't get their fair shake at the free throw line either, with USU only ending up with three more attempts from the line on the game. The Aggies just hit at a higher rate, which made a lot of the difference.
For the more part though, the game could have been fun to watch two quality in-state rivals battle it out, but instead we got that. Sadly, a shitty game is sort of what you expect to see when Verne Harris is an official at the game.
BY THE NUMBERS...
In the end, USU won the numbers game outside of 3-point shooting and turnovers. The Aggies shot better from the field and free throw line, were +13 in rebounding, +3 in assists and +5 in blocks. That'll get the job done against most teams.
Scott Bamforth, a year after torching Utah State down in Ogden, was somewhat of a no show this year. He shot just 1-7 from the field, including 0-2 from the 3-point line, scoring just four points. Some of that is credit to Preston Medlin's defense, which has been very solid so far in this guy's opinion, and some of it is Bamforth missing some decent looks. We learned the hard way against Saint Mary's that bad shooting nights happen.
Weber State's starting bigs shot just 4-13, which against speaks to the defense the Aggies have had down low, particularly by Shaw.
NOTES
- For as much as it's seemed like Preston Medlin isn't asserting himself much offensively, still impressive that he ends up with a team-high 17 points Saturday. Pretty sure the offensive domination will come though, as he's been at least somewhat of a slow starter in each of his prior two seasons. As a freshman he broke out with 17 points in the fifth game of the year, and last year scored 26 in the fifth game. Saturday was game No. 4. Add nine rebounds, four assists and three steals, and really what you have is one hell of a performance by Pre-Med.
- Then you have Jarred Shaw... This dude has been a monster so far! He was the offensive anchor for Utah State in the first half Saturday and finished the game with 16 points and 12 rebounds. He's averaging a double-double so far on the season, which no player has done under Stew Morrill at USU. Stay tuned on that one. The best might still be yet to come.
- Tenale Roland is slowly getting there... His offensive game hasn't been a threat yet, and even frustrating at times, but he has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.1, which should only get better as the team progresses. Once he comes around offensively, that'll only open things up that much more.
- Marcel Davis on the other hand, he looked good for a true freshman out there. He handled the ball well under pressure, we solid defensively and has a pair of assists in only a limited amount of minutes. Very interested to see how he does with the pressures of playing on the road in the next few games.
- Solid showing from Danny Berger too. Nothing too epic, but can't complain about eight points on 3-4 shooting. He's seeming more aggressive each game, and with his size and athleticism, he can make a lot happen with that aggression.
- Spencer Butterfield and Marvin Jean weren't able to really do anything Saturday. Said it before though and I'll say it again: Guys take a bit to get going. Brian Green did, Jared Quayle did, Tyler Newbold did, Pooh Williams did, and plenty others before them. If they keep on working at it, they'll be fine in no time. Maybe I'm quite the optimist, but why not be when we've seen this process play out before?
Player of the Game: Ben Clifford
This is a little bit out there considering both Medlin and Shaw had monster games, especially on the stat sheet. Ben Clifford was the guy hitting on free throw attempts when it seemed like everyone else was missing though. He finished 7-8 on the game, with 11 points, four rebounds and an assist. His hustle that he's made his name on helped make things happen when things needed to happen, and his free throws he made came when the team needed free throws made.
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