Utah State freshman Jarobi Kemp is the best free-throw shooter in the Big West Conference. Aggie coach Larry Eustachy says, "He's mentally tough. It comes from being from the inner city in Chicago."
When the games are close - and aren't they all lately for the Aggies? - Eustachy puts the ball in Kemp's hands and waits for someone to foul him. That strategy beat Long Beach State in the Spectrum in overtime last week, and Thursday night in San Jose's Event Center, it beat the Spartans.Kemp made two free throws for the final points in a 67-64 Utah State win at San Jose that moved USU into fourth place in the conference and left the Aggies 9-7 in league play with two games left. They can finish no less than .500. It was their third straight road victory, evened their season record at 12-12 and was their sixth win in their last seven games.
"We had the right guy at the free-throw line at the end of the game," said Eustachy.
"I love the pressure," said Kemp. "Coach wants the ball in either Corwin's (Woodard) or my hands, and Corwin was on the bench. I have a lot of confidence when the game is on the line." He entered the game shooting 83 percent from the line.
Kemp scored eight of USU's last 11, including two driving layups. Other drives produced foul shots.
"The difference in the game," said San Jose coach Stan Morrison, "was their guards penetrated." He mentioned Kemp and the fact that Roddie Anderson "controlled the game at times."
Also, the Aggies were 5-for-7 on three-pointers (at which they're last in the league). "That hurts," said Morrison. The Ags made 55 percent of all field goals while holding San Jose to 38. "Take a look at the shooting percentages, and you see where the problem lies," Morrison said.
San Jose's Lossie Mitchel missed a three-point attempt with seconds left, and Terry Cannon, the Spartans' top season scorer, rebounded and missed his own three-pointer at the buzzer.
Utah State's guards kept Cannon 7.5 points below his 15.5 average, on 3-for-7 shooting. "I thought that was big," said Eustachy, joking that the Ags followed Cannon before the game, at halftime and back to the locker room postgame, just to make sure.
Four Aggies scored in double figures, led by Kemp's 14.
USU moves on to second-place Pacific Saturday.