LOGAN, Utah – Aggie fans got their first glimpse of the 2022-23 Utah State men's basketball team on Friday night as USU held its annual Blue-White scrimmage inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
"We're ready to be back out here," head coach
Ryan Odom said. "We're blessed to be able to coach and play in this great arena in front of our great fans. It was fun to see the guys going up and down even though we switched teams after each quarter. There was definitely some positive play out there and stuff that we can build upon."
Utah State played four quarter games of Blue vs. White, with every player suiting up for both squads throughout the night. Team White outscored Team Blue in the first, third and fourth quarters 16-8, 19-7 and 16-14, respectively, while Team Blue won the second quarter 19-13.
Five Aggies finished the night in double figures as junior guard
Max Shulga had 18 points, sixth-year senior forward
Dan Akin had 16, junior guard
Steven Ashworth had 16, sophomore forward
Zee Hamoda had 15 and senior guard
Sean Bairstow had 10.
Shulga also led the team in both assists and steals with five and three, respectively, while Hamoda had a team-best three blocks. USU was led on the glass by junior center
Szymon Zapala with eight boards.
Following the scrimmage, Odom and the four Utah State captains – Ashworth, Baistow, senior guard
Rylan Jones and graduate forward
Taylor Funk – addressed the crowd. USU then wrapped up the night with an autograph session.
"It felt like the atmosphere is back," Ashworth said. "It's good to be back in the Spectrum. We've been practicing in here for a few months, but to have some fans and officials, it was a lot of fun. We appreciate everybody that came out and we're really looking forward to Nov. 7."
Utah State opens the 2022-23 campaign with a three-game homestand, hosting in-state rival Utah Valley on Monday, Nov. 7, Bradley on Friday, Nov. 11, and Santa Clara on Monday, Nov. 14.
Season tickets for the 2022-23 men's basketball season are already on sale and can be purchased by visiting www.utahstateaggies.com or by calling the Utah State ticket office at 1-888-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). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
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