Utah State University - » Aggie men come up short against the Wolf Pack

Aggie men come up short against the Wolf Pack

February 4th, 2016 Posted in Sports

By Megan McNulty

As the seconds ticked away in Saturday night’s game, the University of Nevada Wolf Pack was hitting shot after shot.

The Utah State University Aggie men, meanwhile, were failing to do anything right — on either side of the court.

“We didn’t make any plays offensively or defensively,” Aggie head coach Tim Duryea said. “You’ve got to make some plays when the game is on the line if you want to win. We didn’t make any tonight.”

The Wolf Pack upped its free throw percentage to 82.1 percent, while the Aggies shot just 50 percent. Due to intentional Aggie fouling in an attempt to stop the clock, the Pack made nine free throws in the last 34 seconds of the game, which ended 89-84 in Nevada’s favor.

There had been positive signs along the way. The Aggies were down 35-49 at the end of the first half, but rallied back to tie the game with less than three minutes left in the second half.

Aggie junior guard Shane Rector ignited an 11-3 run with a three-point shot off an assist from senior guard Darius Perkins. Junior forward Lew Evans rebounded his own missed three-point jumper and drove in for a lay-up. Sophomore guard Elston Jones made a lay-up plus one with a foul from Wolf Pack junior guard D.J. Fenner.

The energy subsided, though, and the Aggies did not score again until Rector made a layup with 17 seconds left in the game.

Aggie senior guard Chris Smith missed a crucial three-point jumper late in the second half.

“I should have hit that shot,” he said. “We need to tough it out, get yourself a bucket, get a stop and it’s our game.”

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-mdl