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Logan - During nearly four decades in coaching, Utah State's Stew Morrill has enjoyed milestone victory after milestone victory.
He's on the threshold of another.
If the Aggies defeat Fresno State on Saturday night at the Spectrum, it will be Morrill's 400th win in 17 seasons at USU.
More importantly to their veteran coach, the Aggies are seeking their fourth victory in a row - a streak that has boosted their record to 15-10 overall, 8-5 in the Mountain West Conference and made the Fresno game a big one.
The outcome could have a major impact on the the USU's final standing in the Mountain West and seeding for the league's postseason tournament.
Utah State currently sits in fifth place, one game ahead of the Bulldogs.
With a win, the Aggies move comfortably ahead of Fresno State (7-6), New Mexico (6-8), UNLV (5-8) and Air Force (5-9) in the race for a top-six finish and a first-round bye in the tournament.
If Utah State loses, however, its margin for error becomes much smaller, especially because the Aggies' next two games are against the Rebels and Falcons.
"Offensively and defensively," Morrill said, "we are doing some good things. … I am not at all displeased where this team is at but would like for them to experience some more success."
The good news for Utah State?
Darius Perkins will play.
The Aggies' starting point guard could have been suspended after being ejected with 5:50 remaining first half of Wednesday night's 76-54 win at San Jose State.
Perkins was called for a flagrant foul after an incident that started when the Spartans' Ryan Singer pulled him down during a rebound attempt. Perkins scrambled to his feet and made contact with Singer's face while doing so.
After the game, the officials told a pool reporter, "… A flagrant 2 contact technical foul was assessed to [Perkins] for an elbow to the face of a San Jose State player. The video replay confirmed the action by Utah State player."
Morrill called the situation "unfortunate."
In place of Perkins, Utah State turned to freshman point guard Henry Bolton to run its offense. He ended up with three points, four rebounds and two assists in a season-high 23 minutes.
Sophomore forward Jalen Moore also played well and continued his run at All-Mountain West honors with an outstanding effort at San Jose. He finished with 20 points, reaching double figures for the 23rd time in 25 games this season.
In Utah State's 61-52 loss at Fresno in January, Moore scored with 17 points. The Bulldogs made 15 of their first 20 shots in the game, however, and were in control most of the way.
"… They very good off the dribble," Morrill said. "They are very hard for us to guard. They are quick and make a lot of good basketball plays off ball screens, penetration and hand-offs." —
Fresno State at Utah State
P At the Spectrum
Tipoff • 7 p.m. TV • ESPN3 Radio • 610 AM, 1280 AM, 95.9 FM, 102.1 FM Records • Utah State 15-10, 8-5; Fresno State 12-14, 7-6 Series • Utah State, 31-22 Last meeting • Fresno State, 61-52 (Jan. 7) About the Aggies • They have won three straight. … A victory moves them closer to a top-five finish in the Mountain West Conference. The top six teams receive a first-round bye in the tournament. … They are led by sophomore F Jalen Moore (16.0), junior G Chris Smith (12.6) and freshman C/F David Collette (11.2). About the Bulldogs • They come off Wednesday night's 81-73 home loss to Colorado State. … After three straight defeats, they are 3-8 on the road this season. … As a team, they shoot only 30.8 percent from the three-point line. … Their top scorers are junior guards Marvelle Harris (17.2) and Cezar Guerrero (11.6).