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Fresno, Calif. • It's easily been one of the most frustrating seasons of Nate Bendall's career.
Chronic foot problems have dogged Utah State's senior center as he missed time with a stress fracture. Even when he made it back into the lineup, he's played through persistent pain, severely limiting his effectiveness.
But for one game, Saturday night's 52-39 win over Fresno State at the Save Mart Center, Bendall looked like his old self, the Nate Bendall who made last season's Western Athletic Conference all-Newcomer team.
Bendall scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. He played a career-high 36 minutes and outplayed Greg Smith, the Bulldogs' NBA prospect at center, for much of the night. His 16 boards are the most for an Aggie in a single game since Shawn Daniels pulled down 17 rebounds in 2000.
"For the past week, I've been trying to get things going mentally," Bendall said. "I've tried to forget about how much I'm playing, or how much pain I'm in, or how much I'm scoring the ball, and get back to enjoying my senior season."
For the Aggies, Bendall's output was much needed as Utah State struggled offensively for the entire game. USU's inability to score can be attributed to its third consecutive road game, and second in three nights, but Utah State is nothing if not consistent defensively. While USU missed easy shots it normally makes, the Aggie defense suffocated Fresno State. The Bulldogs were held to 15 points in the first half. They shot 4-for-24 from the field in the first 20 minutes and couldn't string two possessions together that ended in baskets.
So while scoring was an issue for Utah State, the Aggies were able to build a 26-15 halftime advantage. The lead never slipped below nine points in the second half. Utah State played Smith man-to-man, rarely doubling, and the 6-foot-10 sophomore could never take advantage.
"We made it an ugly game but that's fine," USU coach Stew Morrill said. "We played hard and we defended really well."
Bendall, with Tai Wesley having his second consecutive subpar game, was all over the place. He blocked shots, he scored when grabbing offensive rebounds, he posted up and scored.
Utah State has now won 18 consecutive WAC regular-season games, including 11 straight overall. The Aggies are now 16-2 on the season and 5-0 in conference play, with their longest stretch of the season behind them, and they've beaten Fresno State six consecutive times.
Wesley scored 12 points as he got going in the second half. Smith scored 10 points to lead the Bulldogs.
Highlights
R Nate Bendall has a career night, grabbing 16 rebounds.
• Utah State wins its 11th consecutive game.
• The Aggies have won 18 straight WAC regular season games.