Big West B-Ball Supremacy Again

Prior to the Big West Conference Tournament the Utah State men's basketball team had a sea of doubts surrounding it.

Could it make it through three games on three consecutive nights?

Could it make it through its own vices -- aka breaking down late in the game?

"I am beginning to feel like a broken record. I have been saying the same thing after every one of these [tournament] games," said Utah State Head Coach Stew Morrill. "We stayed tough down the stretch in these close games."

Utah State earned a trip to the first round of the NCAA Tournament by defeating Cal State Fullerton (89-83 in overtime in the quarterfinals), UC Irvine (62-55 in the semifinals) and Cal Poly (57-54 in the championship game).

No. 3 USU def. No. 4 Cal Poly 57-54

Going into the BWC championship game against Cal Poly, most viewed the contest as a lock for the Aggies. The Mustangs had knocked off UC Santa Barbara the night before, but USU was coming in confident from its two previous tournament wins.

Besides, USU had something to prove. It wanted to show it belonged in the NCAA Tournament and wanted to avenge the loss to UCSB in the championship game last season.

"I was worried about last year coming back and haunting us," Morrill said. "We have great expectations placed on this team every year and they are really tough to live up to."

The Mustangs had something to prove of their own. CP had made it to the BWC tournament for three straight seasons, but was knocked out in the quarterfinals its first two times.

Initially it looked as if the Mustangs didn't belong in the championship game and USU was on its way to the big dance -- until late in the first half.

After grabbing a defensive rebound, USU's Cardell Butler put up a half-court shot with 3 seconds remaining on the clock. Problem was CP's Jason Allen came down with the rebound and, perhaps not realizing the time, Aggie Nate Harris fouled the Mustang.

Allen knocked down two free throws and brought his team within one, 33-32, at the break.

To start the second half, the Mustangs built a six-point lead, but quickly saw things change directions as the Aggies regained control of the game by the 11-minute mark.

Despite a neck-and-neck battle down the stretch, USU was able to come out on top through the efforts of Butler at the charity stripe. He knocked down four free throws to give the Aggies a three-point win.

"No pressure, just knock down the shot," the junior said of the stress of being at the line. "I have done it 100 times. You just do it."

Cal Poly Head Coach Kevin Bromley said, "You see [the Aggies'] composure down the stretch. They are experienced and disciplined and it shows."

Even though the Mustangs lost the game, Jason Allen and Varnie Dennis led all scorers with 21 and 19 points, respectively.

Butler paced the Aggies with 17, while Desmond Penigar added 13 points. Spencer Nelson grabbed 11 boards for USU.

With the win, USU will head to Oklahoma City to face Kansas for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

"This is why I came here," Penigar said. "This was our goal from day one. This means a lot. We feel good and we are going to the tournament with a lot of confidence.

No. 3 USU def. No. 2 UC Irvine 62-55

Conventional wisdom suggests a team usually can't defeat a good opponent three times in one season. And although USU proved the theory wrong by sweeping Cal State Fullerton, the series against UC Irvine had been a little closer.

Prior to the tournament, the last four games in the series had been decided by a total of five points. Most recently, the Anteaters came away with a 75-73 overtime win in Irvine, as well as a 59-58 win in Logan.

No one expected the semifinal match-up to be anything but close.

"We knew it was going to be tough," said Anteater Jordan Harris. "We had played two tough games with them this year and we were prepared for battle."

For the majority of the game though, UC Irvine held as much as a 10-point lead. Then came a couple of 3-point buckets from the Aggies. Penigar and Toraino Johnson each knocked down a shot from behind the arc to bring USU within two with 10 minutes left in the game.

Though still trailing, USU's defense became a major factor in the final five minutes. And when its defense was going well, soon came the offense.

"We just played more aggressive," Penigar said of the final minutes. "Defense won the game. [Offensively] I'd settle for jump shots [in previous games]. Tonight I wanted to attack them. I didn't want to lose this game."

The Aggies took a 55-54 lead with a little over four minutes remaining and never looked back. Butler iced the game with a basket and three free throws.

Penigar led the Aggies with 24 points, while Butler added 12 and Johnson chipped in 10. Nelson pulled down eight boards for USU.

UC Irvine finished with three players in double digits. Mike Hood (14), Stanislav Zuzak (13) and Harris (10) led the Anteaters. USU was able to hold Adam Parada to nine points and freshman Jeff Gloger to five.

"Utah [State] was very physical with us and I think they wore us down a little bit down the stretch," said UC Irvine Head Coach Pat Douglass. "It was a great college basketball game, with a great atmosphere. There was a lot on the line, and the bodies were banging hard inside. Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. This is a very tough loss for us."

But for the Aggies it was a very satisfying victory. The win sent USU to the tournament championship game for the fourth straight time.

No. 3 USU def. No. 6 Cal State Fullerton 89-83, OT

The first round of the BWC tournament presented a somewhat unknown opponent for Utah State.

Despite winning the regular-season series against Cal State Fullerton -- a 61-60 victory at home and a 62-41 blowout on the road -- the Aggies weren't sure if they would see the Titans, who nabbed three consecutive overtime games, or the Titans who often struggled without the help of Pape Sow.

Sow, who was out for the first meeting against USU due to a league suspension, recorded only two points in the game at Fullerton.

In Anaheim though, Sow made a considerable difference recording 13 points off 5-for-9 shooting from the field. With the Titans trailing 68-59 with 1:31 left in regulation, Sow made a bucket and knocked down a free throw to bring his team within six points. Two free throws from Anthony Bolton and a 3-point basket and a jumper by Ralphy Homes knotted the game at 71.

"Fullerton did a great job," Morrill said. "They wouldn't go away. They've been that way all year long."

Holmes said the key to a 12-3 Fullerton run down the stretch game was hustle play and putting in 100-percent effort.

Overtime was a different story though -- the Titans were without Sow. Just before the buzzer to end regulation, Sow and USU's Johnson collided near the CSF bench. After X-rays on Friday morning, Sow discovered he sprained his left knee and left ankle, as well as finding out his toe was broken on his left foot.

"It's hard to say what would have happened if he didn't get injured," Morrill said. "I don't think we'll ever know."

One thing is for sure, the Aggies were the team with more intensity in the extra period.

Eight straight free throws by USU's Mark Brown helped the Aggies advance to a second-round meeting with UC Irvine. Brown said he was able to knock down the free throws with ease because of all of the practice spent on the shots.

The junior finished the game with 12 points in 38 minutes of action. Butler led the Aggies with 19 points, while Penigar added 17. Nelson, who was questionable for the game, chipped in 16 points. The junior suffered a concussion during practice earlier in the week.

"I felt very blessed," he said of his ability to play. "I felt good."

BWC in the postseason

Aside from Utah State in the NCAA Tournament, only one other Big West team will see tournament action -- in the National Invitational Tournament.

Despite losing to Cal Poly in the semifinals, UCSB will travel to San Diego State Wednesday for the first round of the NIT. The Guachos won the Big West regular-season title with a 17-12 overall record and 14-4 in conference play.

By Julie Ann Grosshans; juag@cc.usu.edu
Photos by John Zsiray