'Lucky' Aggies escape

Logan • Utah State was fortunate to wake up Sunday morning as a 4-1 team.

Yes, the Aggies were able to defeat Northeastern 56-54 on Saturday night before 6,761 at the Spectrum. But it wasn't easy, it wasn't pretty and it was a game that easily could have swung the other way.

As it is, Brockeith Pane's free throw with 2 seconds remaining sealed it for USU.

But it wasn't a win anyone in the program bragged about afterward.

"There is an old saying, 'Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good,' " said Utah State coach Stew Morrill.

"We were very, very lucky tonight. It's not a game that I really feel like we deserved to win. I think they outplayed us. We got fortunate. They missed a 3-pointer, and we got a three-point play out of it. We had a ton of open shots, and we just didn't make them."

In a season in which the Aggies have struggled in shooting the ball, Saturday night's performance from the perimeter served as rock bottom. Utah State shot 3-for-18 from beyond the 3-point arc, with many of misses coming on wide-open looks.

More frustrating is that the Aggie sharpshooters were the main culprits.

Senior guard Tyler Newbold, mired in a seasonlong slump, went 0-for-5 from 3-point range.

Pooh Williams missed all three of his attempts, and Brian Green went 1-for-6 from beyond the arc.

By contrast, the Huskies went 9-for-16 from 3-point land and outrebounded Utah State as well.

"We definitely got lucky tonight," USU senior Tai Wesley said.

"We were lucky to get out of there with a win, and we have a long way to go before we're as good a team as we want to be."

Brady Jardine served as the brightest spot for USU, scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. He also blocked three shots.

Wesley scored 14 points, and Pane chipped in with 13 points, three rebounds and two assists.

But the Aggies had major problems with Chaisson Allen, the Northeastern point guard who scored 18 points and burned them in the paint all night.

The Huskies led 52-49 with 2:53 remaining before the Aggies rallied for the win.

It started with Wesley, who dunked in the lane.

On USU's next possession, Jardine broke free for the layup that put Utah State up 53-52.

The Aggies wouldn't trail again. Green hit two free throws, and after Allen cut the lead to 55-54 with a runner in the paint, Pane provided the final point.

"We were primed, ripe and ready to get beat," Morrill said.

"Sometimes, maybe you can learn a little more from these games if you are fortunate enough to win than if you get beat. We have a long way to go before we're a good basketball team. A long way to go."

tjones@sltrib.comTwitter: @tonyaggieville —

Highlights

R Utah State struggles with Northeastern for the second consecutive season.

• The Aggies end the game on a 7-2 run to pull out a two-point win.

• USU goes only 3-for-18 on 3-pointers, while Northeastern is 9-for-16 from long range.