Dec. 9, 2000
Box Score
LOGAN, Utah - In the most lopsided win in the past four years, Utah State defeated Montana Tech 79-29 tonight at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum as the Aggies shot a blistering 59.3 percent from the field and held the Orediggers to a 26.2 shooting percentage. USU improved to 6-1 on the year with the win, while Montana Tech dropped to 5-6 with the loss.
The 50-point win for Utah State was the largest margin of victory since USU defeated Southern Oregon 111-61 on Nov. 22, 1997, while the 29 points allowed by the Aggies were the fewest since Clearfield scored 23 against USU during the 1946 season.
"We played hard and our defense has been getting better every day," commented Utah State head coach Stew Morrill. "I thought our guys handled a non-division one game as well as we have in a long time. We were very unselfish and a lot of guys got to play."
The game was never really in doubt for Utah State, as the Aggies went on a 16-2 run after the game was knotted at two to open up a 14-point lead. USU extended that lead throughout the half and took a 33-point advantage into the locker room at halftime at 43-10.
Utah State shot an amazing 70.8 percent from the floor in the opening half, while Montana Tech managed just four field goals and shot a mere 20 percent.
The second half was no different than the first for Utah State as the Aggies continued to build its lead and had a 53-point advantage late in the game before finishing the contest with a 50-point win.
Senior center Dimitri Jorssen (Theux, Belguim) scored a game-high 14 points, while fellow senior Bernard Rock (New York, N.Y.) had 12 points. Shawn Daniels (Bakersfield, Calif.) added eight points and eight rebounds on four-of-four shooting in just 15 minutes.
With its 6-1 record, Utah State is off to its best start since the 1984-85 season when that Aggie team started the season with a 7-1 mark.
Utah State will take the next week off for finals before traveling to Provo, Utah to face Brigham Young University on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 4:05 p.m.
