NFL
MLB
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
WNBAUtah State (1-0) At Utah (0-1)
GAME NOTES: In-state rivals play for bragging rights tonight, as the Utah State Aggies make the trip to Salt Lake City to confront the Utah Runnin' Utes in non-conference action at the Huntsman Center.
This is just the second game of the season for both programs, and for the Utes it is a chance to get into the win column for the first time after losing to another member of the Western Athletic Conference, Idaho, by a score of 94-87 last Friday at home.
As for the Aggies, a favorite to take home the title in the WAC this year, they played on the road in the opener five days ago and captured a 66-60 win versus Weber State.
USU will be on the road once more on Saturday against Northeastern, before playing in front of the home crowd for the first time in the regular season, six days from now against Idaho State.
With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Utes own a 79-33 advantage at home and are 129-92 overall versus Utah State. Last season, the Aggies captured a slim 66-64 win in Logan on a last- second shot.
The Aggies, who outscored opponents last year by an average of more than 10 ppg, being somewhat handled by Weber State in the opener isn't exactly the way the team planned to break out. Nevertheless, except for Tai Wesley who managed just four points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field before fouling out, every starter for USU hit for double figures, beginning with Tyler Newbold with his 15 points. Nate Bendall accounted for 13 points, Jared Quayle tallied 11 points and eight boards, while Brian Green checked in with 10 points for a squad that turned the ball over 17 times and had just five assists. Quayle is the top returning scorer for the program after producing 13.1 ppg, but more than just a scorer, Quayle managed to get his hands into everything for the Aggies as he posted a team-best 131 assists and 50 steals and also collected six rebounds per game to make himself into one of the more well-rounded players in the WAC. Wesley, a 59.2 percent shooter from the floor, dropped in 12.0 ppg in 2008-09 and was a consistent scorer when he wasn't getting into foul trouble.
As was the case last season when the Utes were stunned in the opener by Southwest Baptist (80-79) at home, the team also found itself wondering how Idaho could travel to Salt Lake City and leave with the 94-87 final last week. Leading four players in double figures, Jason Washburn came off the bench to make 8-of-9 shots from the field to finish with 20 points. Washburn also grabbed seven rebounds, second-most on the team, while Kim Tillie (10 points) led the way for the group with his eight rebounds. Marshall Henderson posted 18 points, despite making only 3-of-10 behind the three-point line. Carlon Brown dropped in 12 points, but his problem was shooting just 4-of-13 beyond the arc and turning the ball over six times. Losing Luke Nevill, the player who led the Utes in both scoring (16.8 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg) is not an easy obstacle for overcome which means the Utes are going to ask a lot more of Brown (9.3 ppg, 112 assists and 5.2 rpg). Brown and Luka Drca (7.7 pg, 107 assists) will have their hands full this season as they try to make themselves primary scoring threats and still keep teammates involved as much as possible.
Coming back again after an ugly loss will be the goal of the Utes, but an opponent like Utah State isn't going to allow that to happen, even in Salt Lake City.
Predicted OutcomeUtah State 73, Utah 64Copyright 2009 Courtesy of The Sports Network.
