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Logan • The 74-66 escape over Hawaii proved to be a gift for Utah State coach Stew Morrill.
In the short run, the Aggies got the win before 7,025 at the Spectrum, even if the Warriors posed more of a challenge than anyone thought possible.
More importantly for Morrill, however, the slim margin offered the chance to dispel the many notions that USU would waltz to its fourth consecutive Western Athletic Conference title. With his team entering league play as the prohibitive favorite, it gave Morrill the opportunity to temper expectations in a big way.
And when coaches see chances like that, they usually pounce. Morrill was no different on Wednesday night.
"I kind of chuckle when I hear we're going to dominate this conference," Morrill said. "Come on now. There are some good teams in this league and there are some athletic teams. We are not in position to dominate the conference. We have to grind out wins just like everyone else. That's the way it's going to be. We are not dominant at all."
Of course, Morrill forgot to say that he has Tai Wesley, who is one of the best individual players in the league. His 27 points and 13 rebounds against Hawaii took a slight back seat to his career-high 38 minutes, a big number seeing that Wesley frequently finds himself in foul trouble.
Morrill also declined to mention his lineup full of veterans, who made every big play down the stretch when the Warriors constantly threatened to pull off what would've been a huge upset. And not many teams could survive a game where the opponent shoots 63 percent from the field, including 75 percent in the second half, as Hawaii did.
But the Aggies were able to pull off the win regardless of the Warriors' hot shooting.
"You have to give Hawaii credit," Wesley said. "They gave us a battle. They're not the same team that we've seen in the past. They have a bunch of new players that can light up the scoresheet and hit some tough shots."
Through it all, Utah State wins its conference opener a year after starting 0-2 in the league. Wednesday night's win is also the seventh consecutive victory for the Aggies (12-2).
USU accomplished this despite almost blowing an 11 point second half lead. To offset Hawaii's ability to shoot the ball, Arizona transfer Zane Johnson scored 24 points for the Warriors, the Aggies hit 25-30 free throw attempts. They out rebounded Hawaii 32-13, and they came up with key plays at the right time.
Up 69-66, Brockeith Pane drove the length of the floor against a dwindling shot clock and hit a lay-up over the Hawaii frontcourt to give Utah State a 71-66 advantage.
"We just came out with a flat ball screen at the key and I was lucky enough to be able to get into the lane," Pane said.
tjones@sltrib.comTwitter: @tonyaggieville —
In short
R Utah State holds on, despite surrendering an 11 point second half lead