2nd Half Rally Helps Utah State Top Coyotes, 90-64
LOGAN, Utah – Facing the two-time defending Mountain West Conference champions in one of the toughest environments in the Intermountain West, The College of Idaho took a lead early in the second half, only to watch Utah State rally with a 30-5 run en route to a 90-64 victory inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, the Yotes (1-2) scored the first 12 points of the second half – getting a 3-point play and a triple from Ricardo Time and back-to-back treys from Jalen Galloway, erasing a 44-33 halftime deficit, taking a 45-44 lead with 16 minutes left in the game.
Unfortunately, the Coyotes made just 5-of-23 field goal attempts the rest of the way, with the Aggies (2-3) answering with their big surge over a 9-minute stretch. Justin Bean scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the run, with Steven Ashworth adding seven of his 15 points.
"We played 40 minutes of Yotes basketball," said head coach
Colby Blaine. "We didn't worry about the score, we played as hard as we could and I am so proud of our guys. We got better tonight."
C of I stayed close early, getting five early points from Galloway and consecutive triples from Tyler Robinett, cutting a USU lead to 16-14. The Aggies answered with a 7-0 run, with an Alphonso Anderson layup pushing the margin to 37-23 late in the half. Charles Elzie helped the Yotes cut the deficit before the break, splashing a pair of 3's.
"Our guards controlled the tempo throughout and forced Utah State to change how they wanted to play," Blaine said. "Our bigs executed our game plan against one of the best big men (7-foot USU post Neemias Queta) in America. We saw a ton of growth in our young guys tonight."
Time led the Coyotes with 16 points and added three second half steals. Galloway added 13 points and Elzie scored a season-high 12 – all in the first half.
Rollie Worster and Sean Bairstow each scored 11 for the Aggies, who improved to 29-0 all-time against non-Division I teams. USU made 56-percent of their second half field goals.
C of I returns to action next week, traveling to William Jessup for games next Tuesday and Wednesday.
NOTES:
- The Yotes made a season-high 12 3-pointers in the loss, starting the game 10-for-20 from outside the arch
- C of I was even with the Division I team on the boards at halftime (16-16), but USU held a 24-8 rebound edge in the second half
- USU turned 18 Coyote turnovers into 32 points
- Johnny Radford scored eight points off the bench, with Robinett adding a career-high eight points
- Paul Wilson had five points and two blocks – his third-straight game with two blocks
- C of I made 8-of-9 free throws, improving to 31-of-38 (.816 percent) on the season, the No. 5 mark in the NAIA.