LOGAN -- It's become somewhat of a habit for Utah State.
Invite Simon Fraser, a small school from Canada, to town for a season-opening tune-up and work out a few wrinkles.It gives the Aggies a chance to see what the team looks like in a real game situation, and it always results in a lopsided win.
Saturday was no different as USU treated the Clansmen to a 78-57 thumping at the Spectrum.
Even with the win, Aggie coach Stew Morrill wasn't about to give his team too many congratulatory pats on the back.
"I didn't think we were very good tonight," We've got a long way to go and that's what I told the kids."
Troy Rolle, the only senior on the team, led the Aggies with 15 points, while Dmitri Jorssen added 14, and Shawn Daniels chipped in 10.
But that's when the Aggies turned up the heat. Utah State got points from eight different players in extending the lead to 32-17 with just over five minutes left in the half. In all, Morrill played 11 Aggies in the first half and got points from eight.
Perhaps the best news for the Aggies was the performance from center Jorssen. The 6-foot 11-inch junior played well in the first half and hit everything he shot to lead the Aggies with eight points, four rebounds, a block and an assist.
He finished with 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and two blocks in only 23 minutes.
"Dmitri played well," Morrill said. "He's shown a lot of improvement and we'll need that."
The Aggies must have had a stern talking to at the half. Coming out of the locker room, USU ripped off nine unanswered points to take a 40-28 lead at the break, and turn it into a 51-28 advantage in less than three minutes. The Clan narrowed that lead to 59-42 with an 11-4 rally, but saw the Ags answer with a game-deciding 16-3 run that put the game well out of Simon Fraser's reach.
Still, Morrill couldn't find much to be happy about, other than the W on the record. "I think before I even said a word," he said. "they were not pleased with that performance. There wasn't a whole lot out there that I liked."
The Aggies shot 50 percent in the game and limited the Clan to 44 percent, but the rebounds were dead even and USU disappeared on defense in spots in allowing SFU to chip away at the lead in the second half. Utah State gets a week away from action before traveling to Maui for a tournament. Florida is the Aggies' first-round opponent.