By Sydney Chapman BOISE, Idaho — With 1:57 to go in the second half, Boise State University’s Justinian Jessup jumped up and launched the ball to hit a three-pointer. Fans in every tier of the Taco Bell Arena jumped to their feet and cheered. It was the Broncos’ first lead of the entire game against the Utah State University men’s basketball team.
The deflated Aggies continued to give up baskets until they were in a five point hole with less than a minute left. But this wasn’t enough to make them give up. Utah State went on to force overtime — and used the extra minutes to claim a 78-71 victory that Aggie head coach Craig Smith called “a gut-check win.” The comeback came in the last 25 seconds, with the Aggies down by four, as junior guard Sam Merrill drew three fouls to tie things up and force overtime. “That was crazy,” Merrill said. “With 25 seconds left — you're not gonna win a lot of games like that.” But the forced overtime would give Utah State the momentum it needed to reclaim the lead. “Even though it's tied, momentum is a real thing in athletics,” Smith said. “And it felt like we had some mojo and some momentum and just willed ourselves to that victory.” Merrill said the team’s will and positive mental attitude were key for Utah State to come out with the win, especially after nearly being “dead in the water.” “When things get tough like that, we stay positive,” he said. Merrill’s teammate Abel Porter said tenacity is just part of who the Aggies are as a team. “It's the attitude that we've had — not just this game but it's been an attitude the whole year,” Porter said. “We're going to finish and we're just going to find a way, no matter what happens.” Utah State will have to maintain this will to win on Tuesday as the team faces San Diego State University for the second time. The Aztecs are one of just three conference teams to have beaten the Aggies this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Spectrum.
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March 2019
CategoriesAbout SydneySydney Chapman is a journalism student at Utah State University. A former intern at Deseret News and avid sports fan, Chapman has experience covering professional sporting events and writing on trending topics. She uses this website to report on the Utah State University men's basketball team. |