Dec 28, 2001

Stats

LOGAN, Utah (AP) - Tony Brown scored a season-high 25 points and Jeremy Vague added 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Utah State to a 74-59 victory over Centenary on Friday night in the opening round of the Gossner Foods Classic.

The Aggies (9-1) will face Idaho State (6-5) in the championship game Saturday night, while Centenary (4-6) will take on Birmingham-Southern (4-7) for third place.

Utah State is 15-0 all-time in the Gossner Foods Classic, which it has served as host since 1994. The Aggies are off to their best start since opening the 1982-83 season 10-1.

Andrew Wisniewski led the Gents with 15 points, while DeMario Hooper had 14.

The Aggies won handily despite getting just seven points from leading scorer Desmond Penigar. Averaging 18.9 points coming into the game, Penigar went 3-for-11 from the field and didn't score his first field goal until 6:32 in the second half.

Vague was 6-of-11 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line as he scored his career-high. Brown was 4-of-5 from 3-point range and added four rebounds, four steals and four assists without committing a turnover.

Utah State led 28-16 with 3:03 left in the first half, but the Gents got within 32-28 with a 12-4 run highlighted by Wisniewski's 3-pointer just before halftime.

Consecutive 3-pointers by Brown early in the second half helped Utah State rebuild its lead to double digits, and Penigar finally broke out later in the half, scoring six straight points in just over a minute to give the Aggies a 67-49 lead with 5:27 remaining.

The national leader in field goal percentage at 52.9 percent, Utah State shot just 37 percent in the first half, but rebounded to shoot 56 percent in the second half.