Nov. 30, 2004

LOGAN, Utah -

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Game #5Brigham Young (1-3) at Utah State (3-1)Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270)•Logan, UtahDec. 1, 2004•7:07 p.m. (MST)•Aggie Radio Network•KJZZ-TV

Game Day Headlines
• Utah State is celebrating its 100th season of basketball during 2004-05 and has an overall record of 1,280-950 (.574). USU's first year of basketball was during the 1903-04 campaign as that team notched a 2-2 record.

• Under head coach Stew Morrill, Utah State is 85-8 (.914) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum and Aggie teams have won 113 of their last 123 home games (.919) over the last eight years. Overall, Utah State is 379-101 (.789) in the Spectrum.

• Utah State has a modest one-game winning streak at home, but has won 18 straight games at home during the regular season and 25 of its last 27 at home overall. Against non-league opponents, USU has won 24 straight at home during the regular season, and the last non-league opponent to beat the Aggies at home during the regular season was Brigham Young (82-73) on Jan. 8, 2000.

• Utah State has won five straight games in the month of December and is 30-10 (.750) in December under Morrill. At home, the Aggies have won 27 straight games during the month. The last time USU lost a home game in December was on Dec. 5, 1999 to Colorado State (64-61), who was coached by Morrill.

• Over the last four years, Utah State has gone 8-4 (.667) against its in-state rivals (BYU, Utah and Weber State), with a 2-1 record in each of those seasons. Overall, USU is 9-9 versus teams from the state of Utah under Morrill.

• Aggie players from the state of Utah include junior forward Nate Harris (Smithfield, Utah/Sky View HS), junior guard Chris Huber (Garland, Utah/Bear River HS), and freshman forward Tai Wesley (Provo, Utah/Provo HS).

• Utah State is 13-4 (.765) in known games played on Dec. 1 and 8-3 (.727) in games played on Wednesday's under Morrill.

This Week
Utah State will conclude its three-game homestand this week by hosting Brigham Young (1-3) on Wed., Dec. 1 at 7:05 p.m., and Utah (3-1) on Sat., Dec. 4 at 4:05 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Both games will be televised by KJZZ-TV.

Scouting Brigham Young
Brigham Young is 1-3 on the young season following a 67-64 home loss to California on Saturday night. The Cougars began the year with a seventh-place finish at the Maui Invitational, losing to North Carolina (86-50) and Stanford (62-53), before defeating host Chaminade (77-56). The Cougars are led by senior forward Mike Hall who is averaging 13.5 points, while senior forward Jared Jensen is averaging 11.8 points. BYU returns three starters and eight lettermen from last year's team that went 21-9 on the season and finished in second-place in the Mountain West Conference with a 10-4 league record. The Cougars ended its season with an 80-75 loss to Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Steve Cleveland is 130-90 in seven-plus years as the Cougars head coach.

Utah State-Brigham Young Series
Utah State and Brigham Young will be meeting for the 221st time this Wednesday, extending the oldest rivalry in USU history. The Aggies trail in the all-time series 133-87, but is 56-51 at home against the Cougars. The first game played in the series was on Feb. 23, 1906 with BYU winning 21-14. Utah State defeated the Cougars last year in Logan 76-74, but BYU has won four of the last six and 21 of the last 25 games played in the series. USU has won two straight games at home against BYU. The last time the Cougars defeated Utah State was on Dec. 14, 2002 by a final score of 66-56. The last time BYU won in Logan was on Jan. 8, 2000, 82-73. This will be the fifth known game played between the two teams on Dec. 1 with each school winning two of the previous contests on Dec. 1.

Versus The Mountain West Conference
Utah State is 282-370 (.433) all-time against current members of the Mountain West Conference, while USU head coach Stew Morrill is 56-49 (.533). At Utah State, Morrill is 8-7 versus the Mountain West Conference and 2-4 versus BYU. All-time, Morrill is 9-11 against the Cougars, which includes a 7-7 record at Colorado State.

Next Week
Utah State will travel to Fort Wayne, Ind., to face IPFW on Tues, Dec. 7 at 5:05 p.m. (MST). The Aggies will then return home to play Weber State on Sat., Dec. 11 at 7:05 p.m., a game that will be televised by KJZZ-TV.

Last Meeting Between Utah State And BYU
Spencer Nelson scored USU's final three points, including a spinning layup with :01 to lift Utah State to a thrilling 76-74 victory against Brigham Young on Dec. 23, 2003 in Logan. The Aggies had built up a 51-25 halftime lead and then hung on as Brigham Young tied the game with :21 left before Nelson's heroics. Utah State's Cardell Butler scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half while Nelson scored 13 of his 19 points in the opening 20 minutes as well as the Aggies raced out to a big lead on the Cougars. Nelson and Butler led four Aggies in double figures as Nate Harris added 11 points and Mark Brown 10. BYU was led by Rafael Araujo's 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Mike Hall scored 15, Mark Bigelow 14 and Jared Jensen 10. The Aggies built up a 26-point first half lead but BYU fought back in the second half, outscoring the Aggies 49-25 in the final 20 minutes. BYU cut its 26-point deficit to 16 just six minutes into the final period and the Aggie lead was down to eight points (68-60) with 7:04 left in the game. Trailing by seven with 2:44 left, BYU's Mike Hall scored and converted a free throw for a three-point play to cut the margin to four at the 2:19 mark. BYU's Kevin Woodberry then drilled a three-pointer to cut the Aggie lead to 73-72 with 1:17 left. USU's Nelson then made one of two free throws with :37 left before BYU's Mark Bigelow hit a layup to tie the game with :21 left. Nelson then made a spinning layup with :01 to win the game for the Aggies. For the game USU shot 52.0 percent from the field and out-rebounded BYU 30-21. BYU shot 43.5 percent in the first half, but made 21 of 27 second half shots for 77.8 percent en route to finishing at 62.0 percent. Meanwhile the Aggies converted 16 of 20 free throw attempts, while BYU was just seven of 16 from the charity stripe.

Aggies And Cougars Playing Two
Utah State and Brigham Young will be playing two games against one another in the same season for the first time since the 1992-93 campaign. The Aggies played home and home series against BYU, Utah and Weber State until the 1991-92 season, but have only played the three in-state schools once a year since then.

Recapping The UC Davis Game
Spencer Nelson recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds as Utah State shot a school-record 77.8 percent from the field en route to an 81-55 victory against UC Davis Saturday night. The Aggies hit 76.5 percent from the field in the first half before improving those numbers to 78.9 percent in the second half. For the game, USU made 28 of its 36 shots to best its old school record of 69.5 percent set against New Mexico State in 1985. Eleven of the 12 USU players that saw action scored in the game. In addition to Nelson's team-best 18 points on six of six shooting, Cass Matheus chipped in 16 points on five of five shooting. Marques Crane added nine points, while Nate Harris and Chris Huber each scored eight points. Huber added a game-high four assists as well. UC Davis was led by Fowzi Abdelsamad, who had 20 points. Ryan Moore chipped in 13 for the visitors, who shot just 38.6 percent from the field. Holding a 25-20 lead with less than five minutes left in the first half, Utah State went on a 14-4 run to take a 39-24 advantage into the locker room. UC Davis never got closer than 13 points in the second half, the latest at 63-50. However USU went on a 15-1 run to stretch its lead to 78-51 with 2:34 left. While USU held a huge size advantage, the visitors held their own on the boards trailing just 24-19 in that category. The smaller Aggies had eight offensive rebounds to USU's three offensive caroms.

Utah State Ranked Sixth In Latest Mid-Major Poll
Utah State is ranked sixth in this week's CollegeInsider.com mid-major top-25 poll, while fellow Big West member Pacific is third. Gonzaga is first in the poll, followed by Southern Illinois, Pacific, Pepperdine, Creighton and Utah State.

Aggies Begin Quest For The Old Oquirrh Bucket
The Old Oquirrh Bucket (named after the Oquirrh Mountains to the west of Salt Lake City) is the symbol of in-state basketball supremacy in Utah. The trophy is awarded every year to the in-state college team (BYU, Southern Utah, Utah, Utah State and Weber State) which has the best won-loss record against in-state competition. Utah State won the trophy in 1975 (the first year the trophy was awarded), 1976, 1983, 1984, 1985, and in 2002.

Aggies Host Three In-State Rivals This Year
For the first time since the 1991-92 season, Utah State will host BYU, Utah and Weber State at home. The Aggies played all three of its in-state rivals in a home and home series each year until the 1993-94 campaign.

Nelson 15th All-Time At Utah State In Rebounding
With his 10 rebounds against UC Davis Saturday night, senior forward Spencer Nelson now has 581 career rebounds, which ranks 15th all-time at Utah State. Nelson is now just three rebounds shy of moving ahead of Dan Conway (583 rebounds) and into 14th-place on the all-time list.

Utah State Sets School Record For Field Goal Percentage
Utah State set a new single-game school record Saturday night against UC Davis, shooting 77.8 percent from the field on 28 of 36 shooting. That percentage broke the old school record of 69.5 percent set against New Mexico State on Mar. 2, 1985.

Aggies Shooting Well From The Field, Again
After finishing third in the country last year with a field goal percentage of 50.9 percent, Utah State has picked up right where it left off last season. Through four games this year, USU has shot over 50 percent in three of its four games and is shooting 54.2 percent from the field.

Nelson Off To Fast Start
Senior foward Spencer Nelson is off to a fast start this year, scoring in double-figures in each of his last three games and in nine of his last 11 games dating back to last year. Last time out, Nelson recorded his 13th career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against UC Davis.

Utah State Among The Best In The Country
Over the last five years, Utah State has been one of the best basketball programs in the country, recording a 131-34 (.794) record. Those 131 wins are tied for the seventh-most in the country, while the 79.4 percent winning percentage is fourth-best. USU has also been among the top-13 teams in the country in points allowed in each of the last five years, and among the top-35 teams in the country in winning percentage in each of those years.

Aggies In The Big West Conference
Utah State has had unparalleled success in the Big West Conference over the last five years, winning three regular season conference championships, three tournament championships, and advancing to five straight postseason tournaments (NCAA-3, NIT-2). Over the last five years, USU leads the Big West in overall titles won with six, postseason appearances with five, and all-conference selections with seven. USU has also dominated the conference's post-season tournament with an amazing 11-2 record over the last five years.

Scouting Utah State's Offense
Utah State is shooting 54.2 percent from the field, which ranks first in the Big West, 72.4 percent from the free throw line which ranks sixth in the Big West, and 30.6 percent from three-point range which ranks eighth in the league... USU is averaging just 13.3 assists per game... Utah State is averaging 67.0 points per game and has a scoring margin of plus 10.0... Utah State has shot over 50 percent from the field in three of its four games and set a new single-game record for field-goal percentage against UC Davis, shooting 77.8 percent... The Aggies are 71-98 from the free throw line, while its opponents are just 41-57... Utah State is averaging 38.0 points in the first half this year, but just 29.0 points in the second half, thus outscoring its opponents by an average of 10.0 points in the first half, but scoring the exact amount its opponents score in the second half... The Aggies have a total of 53 assists and 50 turnovers thus far this year... USU attempted a season-low seven three-pointers against UC Davis, but tied its season-high with five made three's in the game.

Scouting Utah State's Defense
Utah State is limiting its opponents to just 57.0 points per game which is first in the Big West Conference, 43.3 percent shooting from the field which is fourth in the league, and 30.2 percent shooting from three-point range which is first in the conference... Utah State has committed 66 fouls on the year for an average of 16.5 per game, while its opponents have committed 83 fouls for an average of 20.8 per game... Utah State allowed each of its first three opponents to shot at least 42 percent from the field, but only one opponent has shot over 30 percent from three-point range (Northwestern, 35.7)... The Aggies are limiting its opponents to 28.0 points in the first half and 29.0 points in the second half... Utah State is allowing its opponents just 23.8 rebounds per game.

Player Notes
#1 Marques Crane - Has started two straight games at small forward... Scored a season-high 10 points against Central Florida... Shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from three-point range and 80.0 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 8.3 points per game.

#2 David Pak - Has started all four games at the point and scored a season-high nine points against Northwestern in 31 minutes... Had four rebounds against Georgia Southern... Shooting just 37.5 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from three-point range... Averaging 6.3 points and 1.5 assists per game.

#3 Cass Matheus - Scored a season-high 16 points against UC Davis... Leads the team with three dunks on the year... Averaging 6.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game... Shooting 88.9 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the free throw line.

#4 Nate Harris - Has scored in double-figures twice this year and had a season-high 14 points against Northwestern... Had nine rebounds against Georgia Southern... Averaging 9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.2 percent from the field... Ranks eighth in the Big West in free throw shooting at 87.5 percent... Is also 11th in the Big West in rebounding.

#5 Robert Cox - Saw his first action of the season against UC Davis and scored two points in four minutes.

#20 Jaycee Carroll - Leads Utah State in scoring at 12.3 points per game... Scored a season-high 19 points against Georgia Southern and had 17 points against Northwestern... Scored a season-low four points against UC Davis... Also had five rebounds against Northwestern... Shooting 54.3 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three-point range, and 66.7 percent from the free throw line... Was named to the BP Top of the World Classic all-tournament team.

#21 Calvin Brown - Scored a career-high five points against Georgia Southern in 15 minutes off the bench... Also had one rebound and three assists against the Eagles... Shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from the free throw line, while averaging 2.5 points per game.

#23 Chris Huber - Scored a season-high eight points to go along with four assists against UC Davis... Averaging 4.5 points and is shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range... Ranks ninth in the Big West in three-point shooting.

#25 John Neil - Started the first two games of the year and scored seven points against Georgia Southern... Averaging 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field.

#30 Jason Williams - Has missed all four games to start the season after suffering a groin pull in practice on Nov. 15.

#31 Ian McVey - Averaging 2.0 points and 0.5 rebounds in 5.8 minutes off the bench... Scored a season-high four points against UC Davis and is shooting 66.7 percent from the field.

#32 Spencer Nelson - Ranks third in the Big West Conference in rebounding (8.5), fourth in assists (4.00), and is sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.00)... Averaging 11.8 points on the year and is shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 67.9 percent from the free throw line... Has scored in double-figures in each of his last three games and had a season-high 18 points against UC Davis... Recorded his first double-double of the year against the Aggies with 10 rebounds as well... Now has 13 career double-doubles... Was named to the BP Top of the World Classic all-tournament team.

Aggies On The Road
Utah State is 40-20 (.667) on the road over the past five years and 42-29 (.592) on the road all-time under head coach Stew Morrill. In conference games, USU is 31-12 (.721) on the road over the last five years and 32-19 (.627) on the road in league play under Morrill. Last year, USU was 10-2 on the road which included an 8-1 mark in league play. Those 10 road wins by USU were the second-most in school history, trailing only the 1959-60 team that won 11 road games.

USU Returns Three Starters, Seven Lettermen
After posting its fifth straight 20-win season, winning its third regular season Big West championship in the last five years, and advancing to postseason play for the fifth straight year, Utah State will be looking to make another run at a conference title during the 2004-05 season. Leading the way for Utah State will be two of the most talented forwards in the Big West in senior Spencer Nelson and junior Nate Harris. Along with being named the league's Sixth Man of the Year, Harris also earned first-team all-conference honors after leading the Big West with a 67.7 percent field goal percentage, and finishing second on the team with 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Nelson, who was named the Hustle Player of the Year in the conference for the second consecutive season, earned second-team all-Big West honors after finishing third in the league with 7.8 rebounds per game to go along with 11.5 points, which was third best on the team. The third starter returning for Utah State is senior Jason Williams. Williams started the final 27 games at the small forward position in 2003-04 and ended the year scoring in double-figures six times and averaging 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Utah State also welcomes back three other quality players from last year in seniors Ian McVey and John Neil and junior Chris Huber. McVey averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in limited action at the center position, while Neil averaged 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds playing small forward. Huber, who played both guard positions in his first year at USU, averaged 3.9 points and 1.8 assists. Three other players return for Utah State in senior guards Calvin Brown and Tyler Williams and sophomore guard Jimmie Edwards. Brown has appeared in 47 games during his career at USU and has a solid understanding of the system, while Williams and Edwards are both walk-ons who provide much needed experience and depth on the scout squad.

Utah State Trends
• Utah State is 71-7 under head coach Stew Morrill when holding its opponents below 60 points, including a 2-1 record this year.

• Utah State is 109-9 over the last six years when leading at the half and 19-24 over the last five years when trailing at the half. This year, USU is 3-1 when leading at the half.

• Utah State is 22-6 (.800) over the last six years following a loss and 29-13 (.690) following a loss under Morrill. Overall, USU has had just six two-game losing streaks in the last six years and hasn't lost three games in a row since the 1998-99 season, Morrill's first.

• Utah State has won 28 straight games when shooting better from the field than its opponents and is 117-7 over the last six years when shooting better from the field than its opponents.

• Utah State is 95-11 over the last six years when committing fewer fouls than its opponents in a game.

Nelson Named Preseason Mid-Major All-American
Spencer Nelson, a senior forward on Utah State's men's basketball team, has been named a preseason Mid-Major All-American by CollegeInsider.com it was announced on Thursday. The All-America team, which consists of 25 players from mid-major universities, was voted on by Division I head coaches and assistants from across the country. Nelson, who was named a preseason all-Big West selection this year, averaged 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds as a junior in earning second-team all-league honors. He was also named the Big West's Hustle Player of the Year for the second consecutive season last year and is a two-time academic all-Big West selection. The 25 players selected to the Mid-Major All-America team include the following: Cedrick Banks (Illinois-Chicago); Jose Juan Barea (Northeastern); Turner Battle (Buffalo); Seamus Boxley (Portland State); Darren Brooks (Southern Illinois); Keydren Clark (St. Peter's); Taylor Coppenrath (Vermont); Danny Gathings (High Point); Devin Green (Hampton); Willie Jenkins (Tennessee Tech); Jerry Johnson (Rider); Daniel Kickert (St. Mary's); Christian Maraker (Pacific); Rawle Marshall (Oakland); Ed McCants (Wisconsin-Milwaukee); Glen McGowan (Pepperdine); Adam Morrison (Gonzaga); Spencer Nelson (Utah State); Ben Reed (Western Michigan); Timmy Smith (East Tennessee State); Marcellus Sommerville (Bradley); Keith Triplett (Toledo); Ronny Turiaf (Toledo); Judson Wallace (Princeton), and Brendan Winters (Davidson).

Aggies Announce Three Players In Early Signing Period
Utah State's head men's basketball coach Stew Morrill announced the signing of Tyler Newbold, Arvydas Vaitiekus and Mikel Watson to national letters of intent to compete for the Aggies beginning in the 2005-06 season. Newbold is a 6-4, 190-pound senior shooting guard at Payson High School in Payson, Utah, while Vaitiekus is a 6-11, 230-pound sophomore center at Marshalltown Community College in Iowa, and Watson is a 6-3, 180-pound sophomore point guard at Saddleback Junior College in California. Newbold, a first-team all-state selection in Utah a year ago, averaged 16.3 points and nearly nine rebounds as a junior leading his team to the championship game of the 4A state tournament losing to Provo High and current Aggie Tai Wesley. Newbold, a preseason honorable mention All-American in Street & Smith's Magazine scored a career-high 33 points against Springville last year and shot over 50 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three-point range. He was also a first-team all-region six selection in baseball last year. Along with Utah State, Newbold was also recruited by New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Gonzaga, Texas Tech and Wyoming. Vaitiekus (pronounced Vi-Ta-Kus) is in his first year at Marshalltown Community College in Iowa and leads the team with eight blocks and is averaging around four points and four rebounds per contest. As a freshman at South Plains College in Texas, Vaitiekus averaged three points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He is originally from Telsiai, Lithuania. Watson averaged 5.9 points, 1.6 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game as a freshman at the University of Wyoming where he started nine games, including six of the last eight. In those last eight games, he averaged 11.4 points and scored a season-high 21 points against Brigham Young in the first round of the 2004 Mountain West Conference Tournament. Watson prepped at El Camino High School in Oceanside, Calif., where he was named the CIF San Diego Section Division I Player of the Year after leading El Camino to a 31-3 record. As a senior, Watson averaged 22.4 points and 10 assists per game. Following his senior year, he was ranked as the No. 2 point guard in the West by PrepSportsWest and the 98th best guard in the country by Street & Smith's.

Utah State Picked High In Preseason Big West Polls
After sharing the league title a year ago with a 17-1 conference record, Utah State's men's basketball team was picked to repeat as the league champions by the media, but second by the coaches at the Big West Conference Media Day. Pacific, which shared the championship with USU last season, was the top choice of the league's coaches, garnering 79 points, including seven first-place votes. USU earned 74 points, including three first place votes. Cal State Northridge, which defeated USU in the conference tournament before falling in the championship game, was picked third with 64 points. The league's media poll listed Utah State and Pacific in a tie with 176 points. Pacific received nine first place votes, while the Aggies were the top choice of eight media members. Cal State Northridge picked up the other two first-place votes and finished with 147 points for third in the poll.

Nelson And Harris Named To The Preseason All-Conference Team
Senior forward Spencer Nelson and junior forward Nate Harris were among six players to garner preseason all-conference honors in the Big West Conference as voted on by the media at the annual Big West Basketball Media Day on Nov. 3. Harris was a first-team all-Big West selection last year as a sophomore as he averaged 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Nelson earned second-team all-league honors last year averaging 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Harris was also named the league's Sixth Man of the Year in 2004, while Nelson won the Hustle Player of the Year for the second consecutive season last year. Joining Nelson and Harris on the preseason all-league team is Ian Boylan (CS Northridge), Bobby Brown (CS Fullerton), Christian Maraker (Pacific), and Guillaume Yango (Pacific). It is the third straight year that a preseason all-conference team has been voted on by the media.