LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's and women's basketball teams previewed the 2019-20 season for fans on Thursday night in Aggie Madness, presented by Maceys, as both teams scrimmaged and participated in shooting contests in the Wayne Estes Center.
The night opened with an eight-minute scrimmage between the women's team. The White team took the 8-6 victory, as senior guard Lindsey Jensen-Baker led the team with four points. The Blue team was led by freshman guard Kamalu Kamakawiwo'ole with four points. Redshirt sophomore guard/forward Taylor Franson was the top rebounder from either side with three boards.
"Our promotions and marketing team did a great job," said head women's basketball coach Jerry Finkbeiner. "I saw the script yesterday and said, 'No way can they pull it off in an hour with everything happening.' But it was like popcorn. It really went well. It went smooth. It was a great college-aged fan base here tonight. They really promoted that group to be here, and they showed up and supported. The Aggies are going to be pretty good this year on both the men's and women's side."
In what appeared to be an NBA all-star-esque type game for the men's eight-minute scrimmage of the night, senior guard Diogo Brito led all scorers with nine points. However, the White team edged out the 29-26 victory as freshman guard Sean Bairstow led the team with eight points. Sophomore forward Justin Bean was the top rebounder on the men's side with two.
"It was an exciting night," said head men's basketball coach Craig Smith. "It's a great night for our guys. To see it packed like it was tonight with standing room only on the sides, it means a lot to everybody in our program. It means a lot to the women's team as well. It's a sign that the season's almost here. It's such an awesome day. I know our guys really look forward to it."
The 3-point contest followed with a bracket-style competition between the men and women. Sophomore guard Brock Miller went 13-for-15 from behind the arc in the men's final round, but ultimately fell to Jensen-Baker, 11-8, in the championship.
The night's grand finale was a dunk contest between Bean, Bairstow, junior center Kuba Karwowski and freshman forward Liam McChesney, with Bairstow and Karwowski heading into the finals. The winner was decided by the crowd after Bairstow and Karwowski earned the same scores from the judges in the first two rounds of the finale, with Bairstow earning the crown.
The 2019-20 season will begin for the men on Wednesday, Oct. 30, as the Aggies host The College of Idaho in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. The women's exhibition will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, as they host Arizona Christian at noon.
Fans can purchase season tickets for the upcoming men's and women's season, or on a game-by-game basis. Tickets can be purchased at the Utah State ticket office, located on the first floor of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Tickets are also available online at utahstateaggies.com/tickets, or by calling the ticket office at (435) 797-0305 or (888)-USTATE-1.
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics).
Fans can follow USU women's basketball on Twitter, @USUWBasketball, on Instagram, @USUWBasketball, as well as on Facebook, at /USUWBB Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
Fans can also keep up with USU Athletics by downloading the official Utah State Athletics app.
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