SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Utah State men's basketball bowed out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the 10th-seeded Aggies lost 76-65 to seventh-seeded Missouri on Thursday at the Golden1 Center.
The Aggies started cold from the perimeter, going the entire first half without a made 3-pointer, the team's first half without a 3 this season. USU controlled the paint, however, outscoring the Tigers 26-14 in the paint while shooting 76.5 percent (13-of-17) within the 3-point line in the first half. While Missouri jumped out to an early 14-6 lead, Utah State slowly trimmed the deficit to enter halftime trailing 35-31.
USU's offense showed signs of life to start the second half. Junior guard Steven Ashworth broke the 3-point shooting drought, giving Utah State its first lead since the opening minutes at 36-35 with 18 minutes remaining. The sides traded baskets for much of the next seven minutes before the Tigers blitzed the Aggies with a 15-4 run en route to building a double-digit lead. USU was unable to mount a comeback in the final minutes.
Graduate senior Taylor Funk led the Aggies with 16 points and seven rebounds. Ashworth and graduate senior Dan Akin each added 12 points, with Ashworth also adding six rebounds and a team-high four assists. Senior guard Sean Bairstow was the final Aggie in double figures with 10 points. USU shot 47.5 percent (28-for-59) from the field but managed only 16.7 percent (4-for-24) from 3-point territory.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up