Utah State used one of its better starts to get some breathing room and withstood a second half charge to stay perfect on the men’s basketball season.
The Aggies built a double-digit lead seven-and-a-half minutes into the game and never looked back Sunday evening at the Chase Center in the Bay Area. San Francisco made it interesting, getting within seven points with less than eight minutes to play, but USU made plays the rest of the way to secure a 82-64 victory.
“This is a big victory for us against a really good opponent,” Aggie head coach Ryan Odom said. “We were really impressed in our game preparation. This team (San Francisco) is off to a good start.”
Utah State improved to 7-0 on the season, joining just 11 other Division I teams that are still undefeated on the season. The 2022-23 Aggies join the squads of 2019-20, 1934-35, 1933-34 and 1913-14 for the third-best start in school history.
The Aggies overcame a season-low percentage from 3-point range, making 5 of 19 (26.3 percent). USU also had a season-low 11 assists. However, the Aggies also had a season-low eight turnovers.
“A key to the game was handling their (Dons) pressure,” Odom said. “Steven (Ashworth) did a great job of not turning the ball over against high-level pressure. Thankfully, we have other guys that can dribble and attack the rim. Max (Shulga) was phenomenal, and Sean (Bairstow) joined it with some great drives to the basket, as well as Zee (Hamoda). RJ (Eytle-Rock) made a couple of nice plays in the first half.”
San Francisco (7-2) had 18 turnovers and made 7 of 21 3-point shots (33.3 percent).
There were five Aggies that reached double figures in scoring. Dan Akin came off the bench to lead USU with a game-high 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting from the field. Joining Akin in double digits was Shulga (16), Taylor Funk (13), Bairstow (12) and Ashworth (11).
“It felt really good to score some,” Bairstow said. “My confidence has been a bit low and haven’t felt in rhythm. … They (Dons) didn’t want to let us shoot threes, so it opened a lot of driving lanes.”
Ashworth got his first start of the season as point guard Rylan Jones has a concussion.
After building a 64-42 lead with 11:52 to play, it was looking like the Aggies would coast to another victory. The Dons had other thoughts, at least for about four minutes.
San Francisco scored 12 unanswered points to get within 10 with nine minutes to play, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers at the end of the surge. USU called a timeout.
Akin scored on a nice pass from Shulga to stop the bleeding for a moment out of the timeout.
Then the Dons scored five unanswered points to get within 66-59 with 7:40 to play. Khalil Shabazz hit a 3-pointer to make it a seven-point game.
“We knew we were going to be in for a really hard-fought game,” Odom said. “We knew it would be tough to win here in their hometown. Their guards are excellent and cause so many problems.”
Funk scored in the paint, and Akin grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to push it back to double digits. Akin then slammed home a pass from Shulga, and Ashworth made a free throw on a technical foul on San Francisco for flopping. USU was up 73-59 with 3:49 left in the contest.
The Aggies scored the final six points of the game to seal the victory.
“The key for us was intensity on defense,” Odom said. “We challenged our guys to really ramp it up defensively and play harder. We got off to a good start and it continued throughout the game. Our guys answered in each half with key plays.”
Funk and Hamoda led the Aggies in rebounding with a game-best seven each. Shulga grabbed six and also had a game-high four assists.
“Dan (Akin) was really good, Max (Shulga) was really good,” Odom said. “I thought Sean (Bairstow) had one of his better games. Zee (Hamoda) came in and gave us some great minutes as well. I am really pleased with the effort and excited for the guys getting the win.”
The Dons were led by Tyrell Roberts with 18 points. Marcus Williams and Zane Meeks came off the bench to add 13 and 11 points, respectively. Shabbazz finished with eight points, 7.3 below his average for the season.
“Really, the only focus of the game for us was defense,” Bairstow said. “We know that our offense is going to come. Our defense had been trending in a negative way, so we wanted to get back and let defense create our offense.”
The Dons scored first to start the game when Roberts drilled a 3-pointer 36 seconds into the contest. There were three lead changes in the early going, but then the Aggies got rolling.
USU scored nine straight points to take the lead for good. Shulga made a jumper to put the Aggies in front and also had a fall-away shot go down and an assist during the surge. Funk sank a 3-pointer to give USU a 13-5 lead less than five minutes into the game.
Hamoda scored in the paint to make it a double-digit lead, and Akin increased it with a layup off a pass from Funk.
San Francisco got within five, but then USU reeled off nine straight points again. Four different Aggies scored with Hamoda putting the cap on the run with a dive to the hoop, giving USU a 37-23 lead late in the opening half. The Aggies took a 44-30 lead into the break.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half. Then USU was off and running again. Shulga converted a three-point play, Ashworth scored, and Funk sank three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. The foul shots gave the Aggies a 62-40 lead with 12:55 to play.
The Dons had one big run left in them, but the hole was way too deep.
TIP-INS
Utah State went into the game with an KenPom ranking of 50, while San Francisco came in at 90. … For the second straight game and just the second time this season, the Aggies were outrebounded, 28-27. … This was the sixth straight game USU had at least four players reach double figures in scoring. ... The Aggie bench outscored their counterparts, 26-24. … This was the first time this season USU did not have a player record a double-double. … The seven rebounds by Zee Hamoda was a career best. … Dan Akin and Steven Ashworth each had a season-high two steals. … The Aggies still trail the Dons in the all-time series, 8-4.
GAME BALL
Dan Akin gets the nod. The graduate transfer seemed to score whenever the Aggies needed a bucket. He finished with a game-best 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting and made 3 0f 5 from the foul line. Akin also grabbed four rebounds and came up with two steals in 33 minutes of action off the bench.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will play another neutral-court game this Saturday. They face Loyola Marymont in Las Vegas, which is part of a tripleheader as part of the Jack Jones Hoopfest. The Lions (7-3) beat Nevada on Saturday in their last outing, 64-52. Loyola Marymount plays at Grand Canyon on Wednesday before heading to Las Vegas.