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Logan • Going into the season, Utah State coach Stew Morrill was concerned about his depth.
Those worries are becoming reality.
In Wednesday night's 77-70 overtime loss at UC Davis, the Aggies' five starters combined for 61 points. Four players off the bench contributed only nine on 4-for-11 shooting.
Jalen Moore scored 17 points to lead Utah State. Teammates Darius Perkins (13), Chris Smith (13) and Jojo McGlaston (11) also reached double figures.
After UC Davis tied the game at the end of regulation on Tyler Les' three-pointer at the buzzer, the Aggies went almost four minutes of the overtime without scoring.
"Our players were ready to compete when called upon," said UC Davis coach Jim Les. "I think our depth helped ware Utah State down a bit."
The Aggies had a hard time stopping UC Davis forward Josh Fox, especially after David Collette and Moore found themselves in foul trouble in the second half.
Fox finished with a career-high 23 points on 11-for-14 shooting.
Still, Utah State was on the threshold of victory after it fought back from a 42-31 deficit and took a 61-60 lead on McGlaston's jumper with 58 seconds remaining. Following Collette's blocked shot, Moore's tip-in with five seconds left put the Aggies in front, 64-61.
Tyler Les forced overtime, however, with a 25-foot bomb as the clock expired.
"I told the guys that this was a complete team effort tonight," said Jim Les, Tyler's father. "Everyone worked hard, whether they were on the court or on the bench, and supported one another."
In overtime, Collette fouled out and UC Davis scored the first nine points to wrap up the victory. J.T. Adenrele scored two quick baskets and Josh Ritchart's three-pointer with 1:30 remaining gave the California Aggies an insurmountable 73-64 lead.
Referring to Adenrele, Jim Les said, "He took over the game. ... He was a beast down low."
With the win, UC Davis improved to 4-0 — its best start since the 1999-2000 season. Utah State slipped to 3-2 after its second straight defeat.
Following a brief break for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Aggies return to action on Tuesday night against high-scoring BYU at the Spectrum.
The Cougars come off a seemingly pedestrian 1-2 performance at the Maui Classic. But look again. They defeated Chaminade (121-85) while losing in double-overtime to San Diego State (92-87) and in overtime to Purdue (87-85).