Thanks to a free T-shirt giveaway for the entire sellout crowd of 10,270 for Utah State’s annual “Spectrum Magic Night” that deftly camouflaged Aggie fans in the colors of the Spectrum iconic seats, it might have actually been difficult for the visiting Fresno State Bulldogs to know exactly what they were up against Tuesday night.
And thanks to the Aggies’ 91-78 victory over their conference rivals, Utah State was also able to quietly sneak into sole possession of first place in the Mountain West.
“I really want to give a shout out to our athletic department; I thought this was one of the neatest environments I’ve ever been around, not just with the shirts, but with the scoreboard,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “A lot of work went into that, and I thought it was a pretty awesome, magical night.
“And the last two times we’ve done this, we haven’t won. So, I’m glad we ended the night with a win.”
Tuesday’s “magical” victory lifted the Aggies (21-3 overall, 12-2 in the Mountain West) a half-game ahead of idle San Diego State in the conference standings. The Aztecs (17-6, 11-2) don’t play again until they host Nevada Saturday night, while Utah State will step out of Mountain West play for a non-conference game against Memphis on Valentine’s Day.
The Aggies, who have won six straight games since losing back-to-back games to Grand Canyon and UNLV, notched their ninth straight victory over the Bulldogs (11-13, 5-8) despite trailing 8-0 to start the game.
That rough start led to Calhoun substituting out four starters just over three minutes into the contest, and the second-year coach ended up loving what he got out of his bench the rest of the night.
“I’m really proud of the second unit,” Calhoun said. “That’s what a team is, and that’s what our culture is all about. ... I have full faith in our guys, and when we needed a burst of energy, that second unit really provided it.”
Utah State’s bench ended up outscoring the Bulldogs non-starters by a 43-19 margin for the game, and backup guards Elijah Perryman and Kolby King totaled 30 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds by themselves.
Perryman’s play was especially key early in the game as the Aggies quickly dug themselves out of that eight-point deficit by scoring 16 of the game’s next 23 points to take their first lead at 16-13. The freshman point guard connected on all three of his 3-point attempts while compiling nine points, four assists and two rebounds during an eight-minute stint that helped give Utah State control of the contest.
“I thought he carried us as soon as he went in the game,” Calhoun said of Perryman.
For the game, Perryman led Utah State with a career-high 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting while adding a team-best seven assists against just one turnover in 19 minutes of court time.
“I just shot with confidence,” said Perryman, who went 4 for 5 from 3-point range. “And it was great to see all of us make shots, not just me.”
The Aggies, who led by as many as 14 points in the first half, went 10 for 17 from 3-point range over the first 20 minutes on their way to taking a 47-35 lead into intermission. The hosts went just 4 for 16 from long distance in the second half, but still 50.8% from the field overall and managed to pull away from the Bulldogs by as many as 22 points with nine minutes to go.
King added three 3-pointers, 14 points and seven rebounds, while junior forward Karson Templin also came off the bench to contribute 10 points and eight assists. Senior guard MJ Collins Jr. finished with three 3-pointers and 13 points, and senior forward Zach Keller contributed a season-high 11 points.
“I thought Zach Keller had his best game,” Calhoun said of the Utah transfer, who finished 4 for 4 from the floor, including two 3-pointers. “... I thought his energy and effort was great. He can only go in spurts, for like two or three minutes and then I have to get him out. But his three-minute spurts have been really good, and he’s giving us a presence inside.”\
Fresno State shot 40% from the field as a team, including an 8-for-29 performance from beyond the arc. Freshman forward DeShawn Gory put up a game-high 21 points while knocking down 8-of-17 shot attempts.
The Bulldogs’ leading scorer, Jake Heidbreder, scored 19 points on 5-for-10 shooting, but the senior guard had to leave the game with 7:19 left and didn’t return to the court. After being fouled by Perryman near the free-throw line, he ended skidded across the floor and was accidentally kneed in the back by Collins.
While the first half went very quickly, with only 10 total fouls called and both teams shooting just one free throw, the second half was a very different story. There were 26 total fouls following intermission, with the Bulldogs going 17 for 22 from the free-throw line, and the Aggies finishing 14 for 18.
“I have a lot of respect for Coach (Vance) Walberg; I thought they really, really battled,” Calhoun said. “He’s been doing this for a long time, and from year one to year two, you can really see their team growth. They play the right way, and they share the ball.
“And it seemed like a very long game. It seemed like the last eight or minutes were never going to end.”