LOGAN — While the Utah State basketball team hasn’t faced UTEP in 55 years, the Aggie football team did dismantle the Miners’ football team, 28-16, in late August.
And for much of Saturday afternoon’s game at the Spectrum, the score and the play more closely resembled a gridiron clash. But in the end, USU coach Jerrod Calhoun was far more pleased with his team’s rugged performance in its 75-51 victory over the Miners than he was after Wednesday’s 83-73 ugly defeat of Weber State.
“I was really proud of our guys,” Calhoun declared. “I thought we had our antennas up as far as toughness and what we needed to bring today. We talked about rebounding the ball and playing physical.
“And that’s a team that tries to turn you over, and they did. So, we had to make up for some of our mistakes and play through them. And even though we couldn’t make a shot again, we still got 75. So, I’m really proud of our guys’ response from the other day. I think we’re in a good place.”
The Aggies (4-0) struggled mightily once again from 3-point range, going just 2 for 11 from beyond the arc in the first half and 6 for 23 for the game. But Utah State dominated the rebounding battle by a 41-27 margin, while getting a gritty effort from Garry Clark.
The fifth-year senior transfer from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi totaled 20 points and 13 rebounds against the Miners (2-2) from West Texas, despite only taking six shots. Clark ended up going 5 for 6 from the field and 10 for 16 from the free-throw line, while the Aggies went 23 for 36 from the charity stripe as a team.
“Garry’s got a great work ethic, and he’ll be a fan favorite this season because he just does what he can do. He doesn’t play outside of his game,” Calhoun noted. “He’s just a wonderful kid, who plays hard and is a good teammate.
“And he has a good set of hands,” Calhoun added. “He can snatch rebounds, and he can catch balls. I think he’s just going to get better and better; he’s just scratching the surface. His motor is really good.”
Senior guard MJ Collins Jr. added 13 points for the Aggies, while senior guard Kolby King finished with 10 points and half of USU’s six 3-pointers. Junior guard Mason Falslev finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, and junior forward Karson Templin contributed 10 points despite playing just 15 minutes, mostly due to foul trouble.
Freshman guard Elijah Perryman, making his first career start in place of Drake Allen, who sprained his left ankle against Weber State, compiled 11 points, five assists and five turnovers in 30 minutes.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game for him,” Calhoun said of Perryman. “But I thought he responded really well. He’s not scared of the bright lights; he’s a kid who has extreme confidence. I just wish he had a few less turnovers.”
As a team, the Aggies finished with 17 turnovers, after giving the ball away just six times Wednesday against the Wildcats. But credit the quick and crafty Miners, who played hard physical defense, especially in the first half.
“Their defense definitely speeds teams up,” Clark said. “They pressure the ball and don’t really let you set up and get into your offense, so it’s more breakdown-and-get-to-the-rim type of action.”
That eventually caught up to the Miners, who were called for 27 fouls — nine more than the Aggies — and still didn’t really slow down Utah State inside of the perimeter. The Aggies shot 48% from the field in both halves, and were 17 for 25 for the game inside of the 3-point arc.
“They played really well, and I think they’re a really good team, extremely well-coached, and obviously tough to beat at home,” UTEP coach Joe Golding said of the Aggies.
Although he’s considered an offense-first coach, Calhoun was thrilled with his team’s defensive performance against the Miners, who ended up with only one player (Elijah Jones, 13 points) in double figures, while shooting 37.3% as a team from the field and going 3 for 16 from 3-point range.
“We’ve told our team that we think we can be one of the best defensive teams in the country if we can get our defense set,” Calhoun said. “So, we have to run good offense; we can’t turn the ball over because if we get back, we’re elite.
“... It’s usually about offense around here, so fans might have to get used to the defense.”
The Aggies certainly showed what they’re capable of defensively late in the first half. The hosts were struggling to score, and led just 21-17 after a Miners’ 3-pointer, which was followed by a Perryman pass out of bounds. But that led to a timeout, which gave Calhoun a chance to set up a full-court press, which immediately resulted in a steal and a layup by Collins on UTEP’s inbounds pass.
That woke up both the Aggies and the crowd of 7,942, leading to four Miner turnovers in a minute, and an 11-0 Utah State run that changed the entire feel of the game.
“You could just feel it in the building; it was an uncomfortable feeling. It was ugly basketball, and neither team could put the ball in the basket,” Calhoun said. “So, during the timeout, I said, ‘We’re pressing. I’m not watching this anymore. We need our defense to spark us.’”
Utah State led 34-20 at halftime, and continued to add to their lead in the second half despite an inability to score the basketball. The home team had just two field goals for the half until a Falslev drive for a score with 10:07 remaining, and soon afterward, a quick 6-0 run by Templin finally got the Aggies rolling, and they pulled away by as many as 29 points.
During Templin’s streak, Clark came up with one of USU’s 11 steals, and fired it ahead to the Texas native, who attacked the basket for the score despite being fouled.
“I love playing out there with (Templin) at the same time,” Clark said. “He helps me a lot. He has the same type of energy that I have. He attacks the rim, he’s aggressive going for rebounds and he works hard on defense. So yeah, it’s fun playing with him.”
The Aggies played without Allen, who was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, but Calhoun said the graduate guard was doing all he could to aid Perryman from the bench.
“I think he’ll go Friday (against Tulane in the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic),” Calhoun said of Allen, who came back remarkably quick from a separated shoulder last season. “It’s unbelievable the amount of pain that kid can endure. Last year was brutal for him, and my heart goes out to him. But he’s the one guy that’s consistently led this team. There’s been moments when Karson and Mason try to lead, but nowhere what Drake Allen does.
“Drake Allen’s voice is heard everyday, and that’s what stinks about him missing today.”
