Box Score
LOGAN, Utah- The Idaho State men's basketball team shot 69 percent from the field in the second half but it wasn't enough as Utah State defeated the Bengals 71-48 on Tuesday evening in front of a crowd of 8,143 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The loss drops Idaho State to 3-7 while Utah State improved to 9-2.
“We didn't run and hide,” Idaho State coach Joe O'Brien said. “We dug a hole we couldn't get out of but we didn't run and hide. This place gets a hold of a lot of people. They really go out of here with a whopping. We got beat soundly but we didn't embarrass ourselves like we did our previous trips when we came here.”
Broderick Gilchrest led ISU with 19 points in 38 minutes of play while Mike Lacey had seven points and seven rebounds. Idaho State shot 47.7 percent from the field and had 21 rebounds to Utah State's 26.
One player that O'Brien was particularly pleased with was the play of freshman Andre Hatchett off the bench. Hatchett played 14 minutes and scored six points and grabbed three rebounds along with one steal. His two baskets were 3-pointers that came early in the second half.
“He got in at crunch time when the game was a game and took advantage of an opportunity, his first real playing time this year,” O'Brien said. “He took himself off the floor twice when he got really winded, an unselfish move. I was extremely proud of him and I told the whole team that. He is going to get rewarded with playing time tomorrow.”
Utah State led the Bengals 36-20 at halftime. The Bengals led 5-4 early before USU then went on a 9-2 run to lead 13-7 five minutes into the contest. After the Aggies took a 17-10 lead, the Bengals scored five straight points to come within two points at 17-15 with 10:20 to play in the period after a basket by Deividas Busma and a 3-pointer by Gilchrest.
“I thought the first 10 minutes we survived and stayed in the game,” O'Brien said. “The second 10 minutes of first half was like a collapse.”
Utah State countered with a 13-2 run to lead 30-17 with six minutes until halftime. ISU's only other basket they could muster was a 3-pointer by Kenny McGowen with four minutes remaining.
“The second 10 minutes cost us the game,” O'Brien said. “We got much more aggressive in the second half but we had 10 turnovers so we didn't get to take very many shots.”
Idaho State fell behind by 19 points at 43-24. The Bengals then got within 14 points at 43-29 six minutes into the second half but that would be the closest they got the rest of the way.
Idaho State returns to the court in the World Vision Invitational in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on the campus of Utah State on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against the University of Troy. Troy defeated Western Michigan 102-99 in overtime yesterday evening.
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