The Utah State Aggies lead the Idaho State Bengals, 30-23, at the half. The Aggies put on a display of strong defense and stellar rebounding, but also have a high amount of turnovers.
The Aggies shot 11 for 21 from the field and 3 for 6 from deep in the first half. They also turned it over 10 times, giving the Bengals extra possessions and keeping them within striking distance.
The Aggies opened up on a 12-4 run over the first 8:04, and four different Aggies contributed. The Aggies' best series occurred down the stretch of the first half.
With just more than six minutes left, Idaho State took possession on a turnover by shooting guard Marvin Jean. The Bengals didn't hold on to the ball for very long. Point guard TeNale Roland poked the ball away and went the length of the floor for an easy layup.
Roland followed up his steal with an audacious block on ISU guard Melvin Morgan. Center Jarred Shaw passed it forward, and Roland found Jean on the break for a corner-pocket 3-pointer. This series of plays put the Aggies up by 13.
USU is led in scoring by junior guard Preston Medlin with 10 points in 20 minutes of play. He shot 100 percent in the first half, going 4 for 4 and hitting two 3-pointers with two assists. Smithfield, Utah native Jordan stone has five points in 10 minutes and is USU's second-leading scorer.
Morgan led the Bengals in scoring with 12 points. The rest of the ISU team scored a combined 11.
Landon Hemsley is Sports Content Manager of DeseretNews.com