This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • Utah State's 77-58 win over Cal-State Bakersfield on Saturday night in the Spectrum was to be expected. After all, the Aggies were much more physically dominant than the Roadrunners.
Still, USU's win was noteworthy for a number of unexpected reasons.
James Walker, a freshman point guard, unexpectedly received the first start of his career. Tyler Newbold unexpectedly poured in a season-high 18 points, and Nate Bendall unexpectedly looked like the old Nate Bendall.
The moves speak to how deep the Aggies can be on a given night. It also speaks to how unsettled Utah State is with the start of conference action less than three weeks away.
"It doesn't feel like we're 7-2," Aggies coach Stew Morrill said. "We have a long way to go, but it is a win and there were some positives. Nate Bendall had a good game, Tyler Newbold made some shots. But we have to get better. Next week is finals so we have that all going on. We have to play better at Utah Valley to win. I really believe that."
Bendall, still coming back from the stress fracture in his foot, scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in 25 minutes of work. Newbold, who had been hesitant to shoot this year, had a season-high 18 points. His previous high was six.
Tai Wesley was his usual self, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds and Brady Jardine came up with 11 rebounds as USU pounded the Roadrunners on the boards, 55-27. It's the first time since 1998 that Utah State's had three players reach double figures in rebounding in the same game.
However, the Aggies were sloppy in the second half, and again had major problems with a fullcourt press. Utah State had 18 assists, but almost canceled that out with 14 turnovers. The Aggies shot 41 percent for the game, and played four people at the point in the process.
Part of that was disciplinary, as normal starters Pooh Williams and Brockeith Pane found themselves on the bench for what Morrill called "errors in judgement."
Still, between Pane, Walker, E.J. Farris and Brian Green, the point guard position produced seven assists and six turnovers, less than ideal numbers for Morrill's offensive system. Morrill afterwards said that practice this week would determine who starts next Saturday at Utah Valley.
"The point guards are making doing the best they can," Newbold said. "They're making a lot of mistakes, but they're also doing a lot of good things. People forget how complex coach Morrill's system is. All of those guys are in their first year, so it takes a bit of a learning curve."
The Aggies were great defensively in the first half, surrendering only 16 points. Rashad Savage led Bakersfield with 14 points. Williams had 12 for Utah State, the Aggies fourth double figure scorer.
Twitter: @tonyaggieville —
Highlights
R Utah State plays a commanding first half.
• The Aggies win for the seventh time in nine games.
• Nate Bendall has a season-high in points (13) and rebounds (14).