Nov. 23, 2008

LOGAN, Utah -

Complete Release in PDF Format

WEEKLY AGGIE UPDATE - NOVEMBER 23, 2008

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Contact: Doug Hoffman - (435) 797-3714

This Week
Tues., Nov. 25 --- WEBER STATE, 7 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 29 --- CAL POLY, 7 p.m.

• Utah State's men's basketball team (2-0) will play its first of three straight home games on Tuesday, Nov. 25 when it hosts in-state rival Weber State (1-2) at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on KJZZ-TV. The Aggies will then host Cal Poly (1-3) on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. USU is 34-25 all-time against the Wildcats, which includes a 20-8 record at home. USU is also 15-2 all-time against the Mustangs, which includes a perfect 8-0 home record.

Last Week
W, 61-59 --- at UC Santa Barbara

• Matt Formisano scored a put-back basket with three seconds to play to lift Utah State to a 61-59 win at UC Santa Barbara on Monday, Nov. 17. With the game tied at 59-all, Gary Wilkinson missed a running layup that Formisano rebounded and scored on to give the Aggies the win. Formisano finished with six points and three rebounds. Sophomore forward Tai Wesley led Utah State with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Wilkinson added 11 points and eight rebounds. Freshman guard Jaxon Myaer also scored 11 points for the visitors. Chris Devine and James Powell each scored 14 points for UC Santa Barbara, but were a combined 11-of-28 from the field, including 2-of-9 from three-point range. Utah State used a 14-0 run in the second-half to take a 56-44 lead with 7:52 remaining before UC Santa Barbara went on an 18-6 run to tie the game at 59-all with 29 seconds to play. UC Santa Barbara scored the first four points of the game before Utah State took its first lead at 7-6 on a layup by junior guard Stavon Williams. The Gauchos reclaimed the lead and held a 12-9 advantage before the Aggies went on a 13-2 run and led 24-14 with 5:16 to play in the half. UCSB scored 13 of the final 19 points of the first-half to make the score 30-27 for USU at the break. Myaer led USU with eight first-half points as it shot 47.8 percent from the field (11-23). Powell had nine first-half points for UCSB as the Gauchos shot 40.7 percent (11-27). Utah State finished the game by shooting 47.9 percent from the field (23-48), 42.9 percent from three-point range (6-14) and 69.2 percent from the free throw line (9-13), while UCSB shot 44.6 percent overall (25-56), including 4-14 from three-point range (.286) and 5-of-7 from the free throw line (.714). USU also dominated the glass as it out-rebounded the Gauchos, 36-25.

VOLLEYBALL
Contact: Doug Hoffman - (435) 797-3714

Last Week
L, 2-3 --- vs. San Jose State, WAC Tournament, Honolulu

• For the second year in a row, Utah State (11-17, 9-7) was upset by San Jose State in the WAC Tournament as the fifth-seeded Spartans notched a five-set win (16-25, 25-23, 25-16, 17-25, 15-8) against fourth-seeded Utah State in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Tournament last week. Senior outside hitter Melissa Osterloh recorded a match-high 20 kills for Utah State, to go along with 10 digs as she posted her seventh double-double of the season. Freshman opposite side hitter Emily Kortsen added eight kills for USU, while senior outside hitter Kris Hymas had seven kills and 12 digs. Utah State finished the match by hitting .169 (50-25-148) and San Jose State hit .247 (61-22-158). USU also had two more digs (62-60) and two more team blocks (8-6) in the match, along with 14 fewer service errors (18-4).

FOOTBALL
Contact: Zach Fisher - (435) 797-2066

This Week
Sat., Nov. 29 --- NEW MEXICO STATE, 1 p.m.

• Utah State (2-9, 2-5) will play its final game of the 2008 season on Saturday, Nov. 29 when it hosts New Mexico State (3-8, 1-6) at 1 p.m., in Romney Stadium. The game will be televised live on Altitude (Comcast Ch. 61). USU is 26-6 all-time against NMSU, which includes an 11-3 record at home.

Last Week
L, 38-45 --- at Louisiana Tech

• Utah State battled back from a 35-17 deficit and took a 38-35 fourth-quarter lead only to be overtaken by Louisiana Tech, losing 45-38, on Saturday, Nov. 15. USU out-gained LTU, 368-345, including 99 rushing yards and three TD's by redshirt-freshman Robert Turbin, becoming the first Aggie running back since Emmett White in 2001 with three rushing TD's in a single game. Turbin scored on a one-yard TD, a 47-yard scamper for a score, and a two-yard run. Freshman LB Bobby Wagner led the Aggie defense with 10 tackles, while senior LB Jake Hutton added nine stops. Senior S De'von Hall, junior DT Alan Bishop and junior DE Antonio May tallied seven tackles each, as May notched a sack. Sophomore QB Diondre Borel added 56 yards rushing and two TD's as well as throwing for 204 yards on 12-of-18 passing. However, Borel threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns in the first half, as LTU built a 28-17 halftime lead. The Bulldogs tacked on a TD early in the third quarter to go up 35-17, before the Aggies rebounded with an 11-yard run by Borel. On LTU's next possession, redshirt-freshman DE Junior Keiaho blasted the Bulldogs QB Ross Jenkins, forcing a fumble that senior DE Ben Calderwood recovered, giving USU the ball at the LTU 18. Two plays later, Turbin bulled in for a two-yard rush, but USU's two-point conversion came up short, leaving the Aggies down, 35-30. The USU defense held LTU to a three-and-out to get the ball back going into the fourth quarter. Borel spearheaded the Aggies' drive and capped it with a 13-yard scamper for a score and then darted in for the two-point conversion, his second of the season. USU's 38-35 lead was short-lived though, as LTU countered with a six-play scoring drive that Daniel Porter ended with a 22-yard TD run to put the Bulldogs back ahead, 42-38. However, the USU offense couldn't counterattack, punting it away. The Aggie defense bent but didn't break and held the Bulldogs to a field goal to open a 45-38 lead. On USU's ensuing possession, Borel's pass was intercepted by LTU and the Bulldogs took three knee's to end the game.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Contact: Kara Irving - (435) 797-1361

This Week
Mon., Nov. 24 --- MONTANA STATE-NORTHERN, 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 28 --- vs. Texas State at El Paso, Texas, 4:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 29 --- vs. UTEP/Monmouth at El Paso, Texas, TBA

• Utah State's women's basketball team (1-2) will play three games this week, beginning with a home contest against Montana State-Northern on Monday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m., in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aggies will then travel to El Paso, Texas to compete in the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic over the holiday weekend. USU will begin the tournament against Texas State on Friday, Nov. 28 at 4:30 p.m., and then play either Monmouth or UTEP on Saturday, Nov. 29. Utah State will be playing both Montana State-Northern and Texas State for the first time ever this week. USU is also 5-0 all-time against UTEP and has never played Monmouth.

Last Week
W, 64-56 ot --- NORTHERN ARIZONA
L, 43-58--- IDAHO STATE

•Utah State went 1-1 at home last week as it defeated Northern Arizona, 64-56, in overtime, and lost to Idaho State, 58-43. Against the Lumberjacks, senior guard Ana Pares scored a career-high 18 points, including five in overtime. USU also got a pair of double-doubles from senior guard Danyelle Snelgro and junior forward Lydia Whitehead as Snelgro had 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, while Whitehead had 12 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double in as many games. Junior forward Nicole Johnson added seven points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight blocked shots for the Aggies. USU was 22-of-55 (40.0 percent) from the field, including 3-of-9 (33.3 percent) behind the three-point arc. The Aggies also shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the free throw line, hitting 7-of-9 in OT. NAU shot 32.3 percent (21-of-65) from the field, hitting 6-of-15 (40.0 percent) from three-point range. At the free throw line, the Lumberjacks were 8-of-13 (61.5 percent). Against the Bengals, Pares was the only Aggie to score in double-figures as she finished with 13 points. Utah State finished the game by shooting just 28.8 percent from the field (17-59) and 16.0 percent from three-point range (4-25). ISU shot 36.4 percent overall (20-55) and 33.3 percent from behind the arc (6-18). USU did out-rebounded the Bengals, 44-27, but it also had nine more turnovers (20-11) in the game.