SAN JOSE, Calif. — Utah State, fueled by a strong second half, took down San Jose State 75-52 in both teams’ regular-season finales.
“I thought our guys did a nice job overall,” head coach Ryan Odom said.
After taking a 28-26 lead into the locker room, the Aggies had some work to do. The first half was not the prettiest for either team. Utah State started off with four turnovers and six missed shots in the first four and a half minutes. They were outscored in the paint, 18 to 10, and had committed 10 turnovers. Utah State’s five 3-pointers and 42% mark from the field is what gave them their two-point lead at the break.
“Both teams kind of struggled to score a little bit,” Odom said.
After halftime, the Aggies went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 35-26. After a 7-2 response from the Spartans, Utah State separated themselves from San Jose State with a 16-5 run in just over four minutes. The Aggies would hold onto their lead by double digits the rest of the way, finishing with a 23-point victory.
Forward Justin Bean led the charge for the Aggies in the second half. After a rough first half where he was limited to three points and committed three turnovers, Bean flipped a switch. He put up 15 points on 60% shooting in the second half.
Bean’s performance earned him his 19th double-double this season, 45th in his career. That is good enough to tie him for second-most double-doubles in school and Mountain West history. He shares the honors with Greg Grant and Nevada’s Jordan Caroline.
“It’s an honor, truly,” Bean said. “It’s a result of a lot of hard work. Obviously, a lot of great teammates, great coaches and mentors. I’m blessed to be in this position and to be able to share this moment with this team and this staff.”
Guard Max Shulga put together one of his best performances this season. Shulga had 13 more minutes than usual, due to guard Steven Ashworth’s injury in practice this week, and Shulga did not waste his time on the court. He was perfect from beyond the arc, sinking three 3-pointers. Shulga also nailed a mid-range jumper to finish with 11 points and collected three rebounds and three assists.
“Max was incredible tonight,” Odom said. “I thought his defense was excellent when he came in and then he began to get going offensively in the second half.”
What may be most impressive about Shulga’s performance is how he did it while his home country is under attack. The Kyiv, Ukraine native has family and friends heavily affected by the Russian invasion.
“With all that Max is going through right now,” Odom said, “for him even to be able to play is an amazing thing. And I think it’s probably a little bit of a release for him.”
In addition to Bean and Shulga, guard Sean Bairstow and forward Brandon Horvath both finished with double-digit points. Guards RJ Eytle-Rock and Rylan Jones also contributed on offense combing for 15 points and eight assists.
“It was a really, really balanced scoring attack,” Bean said. “I think the best way to get everyone involved is just to run in transition. I thought that was a huge key to the game.”
Stat-wise, the Aggies grabbed 13 offensive rebounds that led to 10 second-chance points.
“I thought one of the things that was key for us was we attacked the offensive glass,” Odom said.
Utah State was also impressive from 3-point range against the Spartans. They knocked down half of their attempts making 11 on the night. Bean said the Aggies’ ball movement and confidence contributed to their success from range.
“I thought the quality of our shots was really good,” Bean said. “I was proud of everyone for stepping up and sharing the ball and knocking down threes.”
Even though Ashworth was out of the game, he still made an impact on the team Friday night.
“Steven was amazing on the bench,” Odom said. “He was really engaged and present throughout because he believes in this team and that’s the type of teammate that he is and leader that he is.”
Bean agreed with Odom and added that “his voice tonight and throughout the season has been monumental for us.”
The Aggies hope to have Ashworth back from injury in time for the conference tournament next week.
Post-season play for Utah State begins on Wednesday. Matchups are not final at the time of writing, but the Aggies are expected to play Air Force at 2:30 p.m. MST in the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.