This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There is no sugarcoating this one.
For Utah State, losing to Weber State was acceptable. Struggling at home against Southern Utah was cause for major concern, but it was still excused because a win is a win.
Dropping a 58-55 overtime decision Tuesday to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi? Inexcusable. At least in the eyes of coach Stew Morrill.
"This was a bad loss, there's no way around that," Morrill said. "No disrespect to the Islanders, but that's not a great team. It's a team that will struggle to win games in the Southland Conference."
So here the Aggies are, 2-2, struggling out of the gate and missing Brady Jardine, perhaps their best player, for an extended period of time with torn ligaments in his foot. Utah State has struggled mightily to score in its trademark motion offense. The Aggies have been turning the ball over at an alarming rate, and guys are shying away from the basketball when it counts.
For instance, Preston Medlin has been one of USU's most efficient offensive players. Medlin, however, took just two shots on Tuesday night. Kyisean Reed scored 13 second-half points against Southern Utah in Jardine's place, but scored just four points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Morgan Grim scored 20 points and Brockeith Pane scored 15, but that was it for USU in terms of consistent offensive production.
Yet, the Aggies held a six-point lead with three minutes remaining. But USU turned the ball over multiple times down the stretch, and the Islanders were able to extend the game into overtime.
"We have to make these plays when it matters," Grim said. "We all have to step up and play big. Basketball is a grown man game. It's not an excuse that Brady is out. We're better than that."