Friday was the opposite. UC Davis went into halftime leading 40-39, but in the second half, Utah State took back the lead and slowly widened it as time rolled on.
It was still an ugly game for the most part, but I dare say it was at least a little bit better looking than Thursday's affair. The key to Friday's win was Preston Medlin stepping up as the offensive weapon we all know he is, breaking the 20-point barrier for the first time this season. Maybe more importantly, he looked like he had that assassin's mentality once again.
It's funny how a slump can weigh down on you, no matter how capable of playing better you know yourself to be. But once that slump is broken, everything feels comfortable all over again. That's what it looked like after Medlin really got things going offensively in the first half. It seemed like he knew that if he forced the action on UC Davis, that points would end up on the board.
Sure enough, he went off for 23 of them on 9-17 shooting, while also tying for the team-lead in assists with four. And with Jarred Shaw having his first down game of the season, it was perfect timing for Medlin to step up with a big game like that.
Not a ton else to say about this game outside of its ugliness, Medlin's big night, and maybe mention that in that second half the team looked for flashes like they were starting to mesh some more. We saw a lot of that against Western Oregon, but the chemistry seems to be taking its time this season.
As it is, this looks like a team of really good basketball players who haven't yet found their glue. Once they start hitting on all cylinders, I believe they could be a very very tough team. Those flashes like we saw against Western Oregon and in the second half against UC Davis need to start becoming more of a regular thing though.
NOTES
- Spencer Butterfield was great for the second night in a row with 14 points and seven rebounds. He doesn't sky for the boards quite like someone comparable in size did (his last name was Quayle), but Butterfield just seems to always out-battle guys for those boards. Oh, and he's shooting a team-high 48.3 percent from the 3-point line.
- Both Marcel Davis and Marvin Jean are with Butterfield in shooting better than 40 percent from deep now. And (Spoiler Alert!), Medlin will eventually be up there too. Finding their 3-point stroke would do wonders for this team's offensive output.
- Tenale Roland had his best game yet Friday with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. If he starts coming around, with Davis still progressing as well, the point guard position could induce a lot of headaches for opposing coaches.
- Only six turnovers for the team Friday! That is most excellent.
- First bump in the road for Matt Lopez in this game, but considering that all the bigs struggled quite a bit, it's tough to hold much of anything against him. Ben Clifford on the other hand is officially in a slump.
Player of the Game: Preston Medlin
It wasn't until the ninth game, but Pre-Med has finally reeled in an honor he so often laid claim to a year ago. Dude was just awesome out there, and it's not like he was just finally hitting wide open looks. He was burying off-balance shots aplenty as well. If he's officially shaken that mini-slump, this team is in a good spot. Medlin scored in bunches against double-teams all the time last season, so with more scoring punch to help him out this year, the whole offense should benefit. Hell of a game all around for the preseason WAC Player of the Year.
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