Preston freaking Medlin!!! Aggies win in OT

I said after Thursday's game that sloppy play would eventually catch up to the Aggies. That was almost the case on Saturday against Idaho... almost.

Trailing by eight points with three and a half minutes to go, the Aggies had an obvious uphill battle in front of them. And with their struggles in shooting the ball Saturday, it wasn't exactly looking promising. But the Aggies' defense completely locked down, the offense scored enough to put the game in reach, and finally only one more bit of heroics was needed.

Down 69-66, the Idaho defense had their turn to to show what they were made of, and really, they did pretty well at it. The final play for Utah State as it was drawn up was basically thwarted, sending the Aggies scrambling. Jarred Shaw nearly threw up a desperation 3-pointer, but instead got it to the guy everyone knew the Aggies would be looking to get it to.

When it came to do-or-die for the Aggies, Preston Medlin came through once again! His 3-pointer from the corner sent the game to overtime, sparked the crowd to easily it's biggest frenzy of the season, and might have completely rejuvenated The Spectrum as we once knew it. Somewhere Chaz Spicer is tipping his cap to No. 13 for his heroics.

In overtime, the Aggies pretty much controlled the whole five minutes. Medlin hit another 3-pointer, the defense stayed stout, and they made just enough free throws to put it away and seal maybe the most thrilling win of the season.

I could say a whole lot more, but you probably watched it all and remember the excitement well enough to still be riding high over it. If you didn't see that game, just go watch the replay on ESPN3.

The win moves USU to 4-0 in WAC play, 13-1 overall on the season, and maybe could be an emotional push to help glue this thing all together with only one more home game remaining before the road games get a lot tougher.

Regardless, it was another game that this team just refused to lose and did everything they needed to down the stretch to win it. They seem to thrive under pressure, and while it would be nice to not have their backs against the wall as often as they do, they've rocked it when they get in that situation.

JFW... Just f***ing win baby!!!

NOTES

• The crowd showed some serious flashes of what it's capable of tonight. Major progress in an area that has been of great concern lately.
   
• Jordan Stone got a shot again tonight after some struggles by Matt Lopez early on and he did not disappoint. Stone's defense down the stretch was crucial, especially since Jarred Shaw was struggling with foul trouble. Promising performance from him tonight.
   
• Speaking of Jarred Shaw, 12 points and 12 rebounds ain't too shabby. He was much more aggressive on the boards tonight, which is something this team badly needed.
   
• Five different Aggies had at least three offensive rebounds. The team had 20 total.
   
• Kyisean Reed was the team's backbone early on once again, finishing with 17 points, four rebounds, and three blocks.
• Officiating was pretty god damn awful in this game by the way. A handful of just horrendous calls, maybe most notably the charging call against Spencer Butterfield with less than a minute to go. I hope that crew at least got a flat tire in the canyon on their drive home or something along those lines.
• Marcel Davis was fantastic once again... Dude just keeps getting better each game. This time around it was 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal. He's only a freshman, just in case you were hoping to have him around for three more years after this one.
• Fewer missed free throws in overtime would have been appreciated. Making only 6-12 and still getting the win speaks to how much the defense locked down.

Player of the Game: Preston Medlin

For the second time this season, Preston Medlin had the ball in his hands, clock almost expired, Aggies down by three. And for the second time this season, Preston Medlin did what big time ball players do! Up until that point, he'd really had somewhat of a sub-par game, but with those kind of heroics, adding up to a 22-point, seven-rebound game, it was a no-brainer. Last year Medlin had the best game of his career against Idaho in The Spectrum, this year he hit the biggest shot of his career against them. Absolutely incredible!!!