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Laramie, Wyo. • In search of better luck and an elusive victory, Utah State travels to the high plains of Wyoming on Saturday for a Mountain West Conference battle with the Cowboys.
The Aggies have lost four straight games.
They come off a 70-67 defeat at Boise State, despite leading by 11 points with 10 minutes to play and never trailing until the final 90 seconds.
Coach Tim Duryea called it Utah State's "toughest loss" of the season, partly because of the final sequence.
After Boise State took a 69-67 lead, the Aggies got the defensive stop they needed to stay in the game when the Broncos committed a shot clock violation with 12 seconds remaining.
On the other end, Utah State needed a basket to force overtime — or a 3-pointer to win — on its last possession. But Shane Rector missed a layup.
Or did he?
As Rector took off toward the rim, Boise State's Lonnie Jackson reached in and raked him across the arm. Rector's shot attempt never had a chance. The ball caromed angrily off the backboard. But there was no call and the Aggies slipped to 11-10 on the season and 3-7 in the Mountain West.
"I'm not sure we got a stop," Boise coach Leon Rice said after the game. "But the ball didn't go in."
Said Duryea: "When you're going through a losing streak, every call is magnified. Shane got fouled. That has been confirmed to me in no uncertain terms [and] we would have liked the opportunity to shoot free throws and send the game into overtime.
"That said, it shouldn't have gotten to the point where the outcome of the game rode on the last play. We had a [big] lead. We should have managed that lead — taken care of that lead — and come up with a win."
Utah State's biggest problem against Boise — and something that must be rectified at Wyoming — was rebounding. The Broncos grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.
"I won't back off of what I said after the game," Duryea said. "It's a toughness issue. We have to make more tough plays during the game. It has to be a priority, whether it's getting a loose ball or blocking out on a rebound or actually coming up with a rebound. … We need a tougher mindset."
Juinor forward Jalen Moore finished with 11 points against Boise. He has reached double figures in 15 of the last 16 games and hasn't scored less than nine this season. But he had only two rebounds against Boise and was not a huge factor during a long stretch of the second half.
The Aggies need more from him against Wyoming, which is 11-13 overall and 4-7 in the Mountain West.
"I like it when Jalen is really involved," Duryea said. "… But he has to do a better job on the boards and we have to do a better job getting him the ball where he can put pressure in the defense. Then, when we put him in that situation, he has to do a better job of forcing the issue and not settling for [outside] shots."
Twitter: @sluhm —
Utah State at Wyoming
P At the Arena Auditorium, Laramie, Wyo.
Tipoff • 4 p.m.
TV • ROOT Sports
Radio • 610 AM, 1280 AM, 95.9 FM, 97.5 FM, 102.1 FM
Records • Utah State 11-10, 3-7; Wyoming 11-13, 4-7
Series history • Wyoming leads 47-25
Last meeting • Wyoming 67, Utah State 65 (March 12, 2015)
About the Aggies • They are 4-5 on the road this season. … G Shane Rector has made eight of his 11 3-point shots over the last five games. … Junior F Jalen Moore needs 54 points to become the 38th player in Utah State history to score 1,000 in his career.… During the four-game losing streak, their opponents have shot 81 free throws. They have shot 50.
About the Cowboys • Senior G Josh Adams leads Mountain West in scoring (24.9). … They rank third in the conference in 3-point shooting (.360). … All-time, they are 28-6 against Utah State in Laramie, including five straight wins. … Veteran head coach Larry Shyatt is in sixth season at Wyoming. His record is 114-73, including 4-2 against Utah State.