Ute coach Ray Giacoletti said he didn’t know what to expect when he made his first trip to Logan. Now he does.
The raucous Aggie crowd spurred on USU, en route to a 71-45 crushing of the Utes Saturday afternoon.
“They were a tougher team,” Giacoletti said. “We played a good first half, but they were tougher than us in the second.”
The Utes started off the game in a good position. Guard Marc Jackson hit three early three-pointers, giving the Utes a 21-28 lead 12 minutes into the game. Everything went downhill from there for the Utes.
The Aggies broke down the Utes’ interior defense, getting four straight layups on an 8-0 run. The half ended with the Aggies holding a 32-28 lead.
In the second period, the wheels came off. The Aggies quickly got the lead to 12, and freshman Jaycee Carroll put the dagger in.
The Utes looked like they had bottled up Carroll outside the three-point line, but the Wyoming native threw up a desperation heave from 25 feet out as the shot clock expired, giving the crowd something to explode about, and giving the Aggies a 15-point advantage.
“That was the turning point in the game,” Ute center Andrew Bogut said. “They get a lucky shot and go on a big run.”
A big run it would be. The Aggies outscored the Utes 39-17 in the second half, forcing Ute turnovers in bunches and hitting what seemed to be every shot. They were close, shooting 82 percent from the field in the second half, and only missing on three attempts.
“We couldn’t stop them in man, we couldn’t stop them in zone,” Giacoletti said. “They did a great job of exploiting [the defense].”
Jackson had 15 points, all in the first half, on five for six shooting. He only managed one attempt in the second half.
Bogut finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, along with two blocked shots and four assists.
Carroll, who seemed to have an answer for every Ute rally, finished with 18 points, after going 4-5 from three-point range.
The Aggies’ other main scoring threats were inside. Spencer Nelson put in 21 points, including eight free throws, and Nate Harris added 20 points and six rebounds.
The Utes return home to lick their wounds before a Wednesday home game against Montana Western.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Huntsman Center.