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Date Posted: 09:30:43 03/01/02 Fri
Author: Jon Ralston
Subject: Deseret News Article
In reply to: Jon Ralston 's message, "Herald Journal Article" on 09:28:32 03/01/02 Fri

Thursday, February 28, 2002


USU can clinch Big West crown

By Linda Hamilton
Deseret News sports writer

      STOCKTON, Calif. — Utah State's basketball team has the opportunity Thursday night at 8 MST at University of the Pacific to clinch the Big West Conference regular-season title that eluded the Aggies last season. If USU can claim its ninth straight win overall and seventh straight against Pacific, and defending-champion Irvine loses its finale at Long Beach Thursday, the title is USU's.
      How pleasant that thought is for the Aggies.
      "It would be special," said senior forward Brennan Ray. "We kind of let it slip away last year. It would say this team is here to stay."
      As if back-to-back 28-6 records and this season's 21-4 mark haven't already said that. The 77 wins rank the Ags fourth in the nation for that period.
      Coach Stew Morrill has drummed it into his team that it can't think about such things before they happen. "We won't dwell on that a lot," he said of this week's preparations. "We'll dwell on this being a special year. They all read the Internet and know good things can happen."
      But how tough that will be to accomplish. This final trip to Pacific and Cal State Northridge is no walk in the park. Those teams are among three battling for third place in the league, and each has a win over second-place Irvine.
      "We've got to bring our lunch pails to both of those games." Said Aggie forward Desmond Penigar, second in league scoring, 17.6 a game, and sixth in rebounding, 7.2.
      The Big West Tournament begins March 7 in Anaheim, and the Ags and Anteaters have clinched the top two seeds. Regardless of this weekend's outcome, the Ags will play at 3:30 p.m. MST, and the Anteaters will play the 7 p.m. MST quarterfinal. The prize for finishing first, though, would be to open against eighth-place Idaho, 6-10 in league play, as opposed to a Cal Poly or Long Beach, who are fighting for mid-pack spots.
      UOP, the highest-scoring team in the BWC, has lost but twice at home this season and did the Aggies the favor of beating Irvine in the Spanos Center by 12 on Feb. 16. That gave 13-3 USU its current 1/2-game lead over the 20-8, 13-4 Anteaters for the Big West lead. UOP is 17-9, 9-7. USU's Saturday host, Northridge, is 10-15, 9-7 and has won its last two games.
      "They're playing phenomenal basketball at home," said Ray, whose physical play has gotten under UOP's skin so much coach Bob Thomason has said some nasty things in the past about Ray. "It will be such a dogfight. I'm anticipating a real physical battle," Ray said.
      Morrill worries about the Tigers' motivation. "We are like the dreaded plague to them. We beat them how many times?" he said. The Ags have won eight of the last nine against a UOP team that is usually among the league's top teams.
      "Our guys are upbeat, excited about where we're at, and about the possibilities," Morrill said. "But they also know Pacific will be as ready as they've been for anybody all year long. They've about had it with us. It's easy to say you've beaten them this many times in a row, but how many times have you beaten them in Stockton? Once."
      UOP, despite a rugged inside game, has shot 220 more 3-pointers than the Ags have. "Well that is what makes it hard," said Morrill, whose team leads the league in scoring defense and 3-point defense. "Our match-up zone has really helped us on the road. Now can you play that much match-up zone against that good of a 3-point shooting team? Well that just depends on whether it's working, whether you are covering them."

      NOTES: Tony Brown needs 14 points to reach 1,500 for his career . . . A weekend sweep would tie USU with its best-ever road record of 9-3 . . . USU ranks fourth in the NCAA in scoring defense (57.7 points per game), and Brown is fifth in 3-point percentage (48.1) . . . Over the last eight games, USU has held opponents to 36.4 percent shooting accuracy.

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