By G. Christopher Terry

January 17, 2006 | The Aggies worked quickly to expand their six- point halftime lead against the University of Idaho Saturday night, shooting 70 percent from three-point range in the second half.

"We missed a lot of shots in the first half and made a lot of shots in the second half. Basketball looks a lot simpler when you make shots," USU Coach Stew Morrill said.

Jaycee Carroll led the charge for the Aggies with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Nate Harris and Cass Matheus scored 13 and 14 points respectively for USU while combining for 16 rebounds. USU out-rebounded U of I, 33-29.

Matheus opened the second half with a clinic on offensive rebounding, grabbing three inside a two-and-a-half-minute span and going back up strong to turn them into eight points. Morrill said Matheus had recovered well from an illness that had been bothering him earlier in the week.

The Brazilian's eruption helped fuel a run by the Aggies that expanded their lead to double digits. When Harris stole the ball and dunked it on the other end to make the lead 17, Idaho called time to stop the bleeding. By then the Aggies were firmly in control.

"I love it when a guy plays so hard I have to take him out three minutes in," Morrill said about Matheus' effort.

Chris Huber and David Pak shot well from outside the three-point line as the Aggies finished the game with a 53.3 shooting percentage.

"There was a blue moon on the way over. The basketball gods must have been smiling tonight," Huber said of his three three-pointers.

The Vandals got great production from their starting guards, Keoni Watson and Tanoris Shepard, who combined for 36 points and 77 minutes. The rest of their lineup was ineffective for the most part, and the Vandals killed themselves with turnovers, especially traveling penalties.

For the second straight game, Morrill shuffled his starting lineup, this time starting Nick Hammer over Chris Session or Durrall Peterson at the small forward position. Hammer was 0-5 from the field with what Morrill described as a case of nerves, and Peterson ended up with 22 minutes and four assists.

Chaz Spicer and Session contributed as well, Spicer scoring 10 and Session adding eight. Both shot better than 50 percent.

With the game well in hand, many fans headed for the exits early and missed a late 8-4 run by the Vandals to cut the margin of victory to 25.

The final game of the Ags' homestand will be Wednesday night against a Louisiana Tech squad featuring the nation's leading rebounder, 6-foot-8 Paul Millsap.

"There's a real challenge with Louisiana Tech, they lead the league and are undefeated," Morrill said.

DJH
DJH