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Logan • Utah State coach Tim Duryea changed his starting line-up Tuesday night against New Mexico.
For the first time this season, junior forward Lew Evans and freshman forward Quinn Taylor opened a game side-by-side, resulting in a chain reaction.
Jalen Moore moved to small forward and Chris Smith moved to shooting guard. Darius Perkins remained the starter at point guard. Center Elston Jones and guard Julion Pearre, who have been starting, came off the bench.
Before the game, Duryea said changes would be made because of Utah State's inability to stop recent opponents.
In Saturday's 84-65 loss at Wyoming, the Cowboys went 20 for 38 from the three-point line. It was the Aggies' fifth straight loss.
"We need to continue to search for those answers and find the right combination to help us on that end of the floor — without sacrificing too much offensively. … We've got to put two halves together and get better defending and rebounding," said Duryea.
Lobos lead the series
Prior to Tuesday night, Utah State and New Mexico had played five times since the Aggies joined the Mountain West Conference in 2013-14.
The Lobos won four of those games, including a 77-59 decision on Jan. 9 at the Pit. Utah State trailed at halftime, 43-18.
"They came out and played really well and we were on our heels," Duryea said. "We shot the ball and missed and that ignited their fast break. … [In] the second half, I thought, we played very well. But that's lot easier to do when you're down 25 than when you are going neck-and-neck."
Caution with Brown
One of Utah State's major tasks in the rematch was trying to keep New Mexico sophomore guard Elijah Brown off the free-throw line.
In the Lobos' first 23 games, Brown made 149 of his 172 foul shots. That's 86.6 percent.
In an 88-76 win at Nevada on Dec. 30, Brown went 15 for 15 from the line. In the Lobos' three previous games, he shot 40 free throws.
"He does a tremendous job of getting fouled," Duryea said. "They put him in position to draw a lot of fouls by spacing the floor and letting him run the baseline and off screens.
"When he catches the ball, you're closing out or you're at a bad angle and it puts you in position to foul. … He is a good player and they put him in a good position."
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