This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • Utah State senior Trace Cureton made the first start of his career Saturday night against Fresno State.
Cureton played the opening 5:58 of the Aggies' regular-season finale. He scored one point and missed his only field-goal attempt.
First-year coach Tim Duryea started Cureton despite the fact he has not been a member of the regular rotation. A 6-foot-4 wing from Indianapolis, he had played in eight of the first 28 games.
Asked about starting Cureton in a game that impacted Utah State's seeding in the upcoming Mountain West Conference tournament, Duryea said "That's a tradition we have at Utah State that will continue. If you are a senior and are healthy, then you will start the game.
"As a coach, the paranoid side of you doesn't always want to do that. But when you look at the bigger picture and look at what is really important, it's really a good thing."
Cureton was one of four Aggie seniors who played their final game at the Spectrum. The group also included point guard Darius Perkins, shooting guard Chris Smith and forward Grayson Moore.
Like Cureton, Perkins and Smith are former junior college transfers. Unlike Cureton, they made their 60th consecutive starts in the game against Fresno State.
Moore has been sidelined with a broken foot. But he took the floor for the opening tip, which the Aggies controlled. They immediately called time and Moore left the game to an ovation from the crowd.
Briefly
Utah State sophomore guard Julion Pearre suffered a hyperextended knee in the final minutes of Tuesday night's 78-65 win at Air Force. Duryea said he was not 100 percent in practice this week but that Pearre's injury "shouldn't be" an issue against Fresno. … The Bulldogs clinched the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament before playing the Aggies. When Boise State lost at San Jose State on Saturday afternoon, it meant Fresno State finished second in the regular-season standings behind champion San Diego State.
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