No. 16 Utah State Aggies basketball beats Fresno State Bulldogs

Coming off Tuesday’s 13-point loss at New Mexico, the 16th-ranked Utah State Aggies suddenly looked mortal after not losing a game since Veterans Day.

And after surrendering a 10-1 run to Fresno State to start the second half Saturday afternoon, it seemed perfectly logical that Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle would call a timeout to try to get his team back on track after seeing a 40-27 halftime lead suddenly shrunk down to just four points.

But Sprinkle resisted the urge, and the non-move proved to the right one.

“It was in the back of my head to call a timeout, but sometimes you have to let guys play through adversity,” Sprinkle said following USU’s 83-62 victory over the Bulldogs.

“We were still getting good shots; we just missed a couple of layups and chippies. Then we had a couple of uncharacteristic turnovers, so it wasn’t like I needed to call a timeout to get them organized. We were getting good shots, and when we got a couple of them to fall, they just relaxed and it opened things up.”

After weathering the storm, the Aggies (17-2 overall, 5-1 in the Mountain West) ended up going on a 12-4 run that steadied the ship for a USU team eager to get back on track after having its 15-game winning streak come to an abrupt end in Albuquerque.

Utah State pulled away from Fresno State (8-10, 1-4) by as many as 24 points in the second half on its way to improving its home record to 9-0 this season.

“This was a gut-check game for our guys,” Sprinkle declared. “I was concerned because I know how good Fresno State is. I know how tough and physical they play.

“We got out-toughed and out-physicaled at New Mexico. I’m not shy to say that. Our guys really answered the bell today.”

Most notable was Great Osobor. The Aggies’ leading scorer hyperextended his left knee late in USU’s 99-86 loss at New Mexico, and despite having a soft brace on during Saturday’s game, the junior forward finished with a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds in 33 minutes of action.

“We weren’t sure he was gonna play,” Sprinkle noted. “I mean, I knew he would play, but I didn’t know how effective he’d be. He hadn’t done anything the last two days in practice other than just a little bit of like, light walkthrough.

“… So, it was a gutsy effort by him tonight, and I and his teammates appreciate him playing through the pain like that.”

Osobor did his best work in the first half, going 7 for 7 from the floor on his way to 18 points. That included a 2 for 2 performance from 3-point range, where the Bulldogs left him wide open, daring him to shoot from beyond his comfort zone.

Osobor was a mere 1 for 4 from long distance on the season coming into the game.

“He will make one once in a while, but I forgot the last time he made one,” USU guard Ian Martinez said with a smile. “But he took the risk, and that’s another weapon for us if he’s able to make some threes, so hopefully he keeps…