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LOGAN — The Utah State Aggies positively may have used much less Moore.
However after having a quiet first half, Colorado State guard Kendle Moore knocked down 4 3-pointers and scored 18 of his game-high 23 factors to guide the Rams to a 66-55 win over Utah State Saturday evening on the Spectrum.
“How about Kendle Moore?,” CSU head coach Nike Medved stated after his staff’s seventh win in its final eight video games. “We knew we would have liked any individual else to step up right here and he did that in a big-time means.”
After trailing for many of the sport, Utah State (16-14 total, 7-10 within the Mountain West) put collectively a modest 5-0 run to take its greatest lead of the sport, 41-37, with 10:19 remaining.
However Moore promptly buried back-to-back 3-pointers to shortly regain the lead for the third-place Rams (23-4, 13-4).
Utah State’s perimeter taking pictures additionally went ice chilly in opposition to CSU’s zone throughout that stretch, ultimately resulting in a 12-0 Colorado State run that put the Rams up 49-41, an eight-point deficit the Aggies had been by no means capable of get better from.
Along with Moore, who totaled simply 5 factors in CSU’s 77-72 win over Utah State at Fort Collins on Jan. 12, the Rams obtained 13 factors and 7 rebounds from junior ahead David Roddy and 11 factors from junior guard Isaiah Stevens.
“I assumed Kendle Moore was clearly the distinction within the sport throughout,” USU head coach Ryan Odom stated.
“I felt like Roddy and (Justin) Bean type of canceled each other on the market, and (Moore) was a difference-maker in that specific sport. His 3s had been large and well timed, and I assumed he was large for them.”
Colorado State additionally dominated the boards by a 43-26 whole — simply USU’s worst rebound margin of the season — whereas taking pictures 44.2% from the ground, together with a 9-of-20 efficiency from 3-point vary.
“Large win tonight for our guys,” Medved stated. “I assumed they performed with large poise in a extremely troublesome surroundings. (USU) is a extremely good staff. Nicely-coached veteran gamers. That they had an ideal crowd tonight.”
The loss was the sixth of the season for the Aggies on their residence court docket, ruining the Senior Night time celebration for Bean, Brock Miller, Brandon Horvath and RJ Eytle-Rock.
Whereas that group mixed for 14 of USU’s 21 subject objectives and 38 of its 55 factors, it wasn’t sufficient to beat some peculiar offensive statistics.
Utah State linked on 14 of 26 pictures from contained in the arc, however went simply 7 for 25 from 3-point vary and a woeful 6 for 18 from the free-throw line.
“For us, we are able to’t go 6 for 18 from the free-throw line and anticipate to beat a superb staff. It’s simply so simple as that,” Odom stated, “and the rebounding was a reasonably large differential there.”
Along with the seniors, beginning sophomore guard Steven Ashworth delivered 11 factors and 5 assists, however the Aggie bench contributed simply six factors.
Eytle-Rock, whose mom, Ruth Eytle-Rock, made the lengthy journey from London for her son’s ultimate two residence video games of the season, led the Aggies with 14 factors on three 3-pointers.
Gotta like it when Mother surprises you earlier than a giant residence sport!
— USU Males's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 22, 2022
@OfficialRj_1 #AggiesAllTheWaypic.twitter.com/iLZvlfXw7V
Bean posted his 18th double-double of the yr with 10 factors and 11 rebounds, whereas Horvath scored 11 factors and Miller completed with three factors.
Though all 4 of these gamers had been honored earlier than the beginning of the sport, solely Horvath is definite to not return subsequent season.
The opposite three, who may come again for an additional yr because of the pandemic, have but to announce their plans.
“For certain we competed for all 40 minutes, however fell brief and clearly I want it will have ended in another way on Senior Night time for myself and these guys,” Bean stated.
“We now have work to do and there’s nonetheless a protracted street forward of us, and we’re excited. We’re prepared to fulfill the problem going ahead.”
The Aggies, who've yet one more common season sport remaining Friday at San Jose State, obtained off to a “stagnant” begin in accordance with Bean.
In stark distinction to Tuesday’s rout of New Mexico during which USU knocked down its first eight pictures and totaled its first 20 factors in simply over 5 minutes, Utah State had only one subject objective within the first six minutes and fell behind 11-4 and 17-8 early within the sport.
The Aggies ended up trailing by as many as 12 factors within the first half, however they managed to rally over the ultimate 5 minutes behind some huge performs, most notably Bean’s spectacular block of the 255-pound Roddy proper on the rim, and trimmed CSU’s benefit to 30-24 by intermission.
The house staff then scored the primary eight factors of the second half to take its first lead of the sport at 32-30.
The 2 outdated rivals then battled forwards and backwards till that modest, 5-0 spurt by the Aggies out of the blue put them out in entrance by 4 factors with simply over 10 minutes left.
However because of Moore’s sizzling hand and a few veteran play by Roddy and Stevens, that little lead disappeared in a rush and so did USU’s hopes of pulling off the upset.
“You knew that Utah State was going to make a run and so they did, particularly in the beginning of the second half,” Medved stated.
“After which I assumed our guys actually dug in and didn’t let any of the frustration of the sport get to them.”
Past Senior Night time, some further moments earlier than the beginning of Saturday’s sport made it an emotional night for the gang of 9,219 on the Spectrum.
Sophomore guard Max Shulga, who scored two factors in eight minutes on Saturday, and Aggie volleyball participant Kristy Frank are each natives of Kyiv, Ukraine, resulting in USU holding a second of silence earlier than the sport for these affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this week.
Max Shulga sporting a Ukraine flag in honor of his residence nation. pic.twitter.com/wAbME5qoSz
— Nathan Dunn (@NateDunnUSU) February 27, 2022
The coed part additionally displayed blue and yellow playing cards in honor of the war-torn nation, and Shulga had a Ukrainian flag wrapped round his shoulders throughout participant introductions.