Nov. 20, 2009

BOSTON, Mass. -

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAME 3
Utah State (1-1) vs. Northeasetern (0-1)
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 * 10:05 a.m. (MT) * Boston, Mass.
Matthews Arena (5,065) * Aggie Radio Network

GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is beginning its 105th season of basketball this year and has an overall record of 1,402-995 (.585).

• Utah State is 77-64 (.546) on the road under head coach Stew Morrill, which includes a 23-24 (.489) record against non-conference opponents. During the last two years, Utah State is 12-4 on the road and 14-6 away from home.

• During the last 10 years, Utah State is 52-16 (.765) following a loss and has dropped back-to-back games just 13 times. The last time USU lost consecutive games was at the end of the 2007-08 season when it lost to Boise State, 88-78, in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament and at Illinois State, 61-57, in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament.

• Utah State is beginning the 2009-10 season with three straight road games which is a first for USU since the 1981-82 team also played its first three games of the season on the road. Furthermore, each of its first three opponents played in the postseason last year as Weber State played in the National Invitational Tournament, Utah played in the NCAA Tournament and Northeastern played in the College Basketball Invitational.

• Utah State returns four starters (Tyler Newbold, Jared Quayle, Tai Wesley, Pooh Williams) and three other letterwinners (Matt Formisano, Brady Jardine, Jaxon Myaer) from last year's team that set a school record for wins as it went 30-5 overall and claimed its second-straight WAC regular season championship with a 14-2 league mark. USU also won its first-ever WAC Tournament Championship and advanced to its 18th NCAA Tournament all-time, including its sixth in the last 10 years under Coach Morrill as it lost to Marquette, 58-57, in the first round. USU also returns two other players who have lettered in the program in junior forward Nate Bendall (2005-06) and redshirt sophomore center Modou Niang (2007-08).

• Utah State is one of just three teams in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of the last 10 years along with Gonzaga and Kansas. During the last 10 years, Utah State has averaged 25.2 wins per season.

• Utah State has won 23 or more games in each of the last 10 years and advanced to postseason play (NCAA - 6, NIT - 4) in each of those seasons, both of which are school records. Prior to its current run, the school-record for consecutive 20-win seasons and consecutive postseasons was three.

THIS WEEK
Utah State (1-1) will conclude its three-game road stretch to start the 2009-10 season on Saturday, Nov. 21 when it plays at Northeastern (0-1) at 10 a.m. (MT). The game will not be televised, but fans can listen to the game live on the Aggie Radio Network.

ON THE AIR
Utah State basketball games are broadcast on KVNU (610 AM) and KLZX (95.9 FM) in Logan, Utah, KFAN (1320 AM) or ESPN Radio (1230 AM) in Salt Lake City and KLZX (105.3 FM) in Montpelier, Idaho, as well as on the internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com. Al Lewis serves as the play-by-play announcer while Rod Tueller serves as the analyst during home games.

ON THE INTERNET
All of Utah State's home games are available for fans to listen and watch live via the internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com. Aggie fans will also be able to follow Utah State home games through its web site via GameTracker, a program that documents each play and updates statistics. Fans can also listen to every road game live via USU's web site.

LOOKING AT UTAH STATE
Utah State is 1-1 on the season after losing at Utah, 68-67, in its last game Wednesday night. USU is led by senior guard Jared Quayle who is averaging 19.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, while shooting 52.0 percent from the field, 60.0 percent from three-point range and is a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line. Junior forward Nate Bendall is also scoring in double-figures for USU as he is averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 68.8 percent from the field and is 3-of-3 at the free throw line. As a team, Utah State is averaging 66.5 points and is shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three-point range and 86.1 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, USU is allowing 64.0 points per game and its opponents are shooting 37.8 percent from the field, 23.9 percent from three-point range and 81.8 percent from the free throw line.

UTAH STATE RETURNS PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE
Utah State's four returning starters have a combined 239 games played while at Utah State including 186 starts, while its four other returnees have a total of 136 games played at USU. If you add Nate Bendall's 13 games played while at freshman at USU during the 2005-06 season, Utah State returns a total of 388 games played in. Furthermore, Utah State's seven returning lettermen from the 2008-09 roster are the most since the 2004-05 season when USU returned seven lettermen.

AGGIES RECEIVING PRESEASON VOTES
Utah State is receiving votes in both polls as the Aggies garnered four votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and is tied for 42nd along with San Diego State, Southern Illinois and Texas A&M. In the Associated Press poll, USU received one vote and is tied for 50th with Western Kentucky, Old Dominion and Cornell.

QUAYLE ONLY SENIOR ON AGGIE ROSTER
Utah State has just one senior on its roster for the second straight year in guard Jared Quayle. Prior to the 2008-09 season, the last time a USU team had just one senior on its roster was during the 1999-2000 campaign in guard Troy Rolle. That team finished the season with a 28-6 record, including a perfect 16-0 mark in the Big West Conference. The 2008-09 team also did pretty well with just one senior on its roster as it went 30-5 overall and won the WAC with a 14-2 league record.

THE MORRILL COACHING TREE
Utah State head coach Stew Morrill currently has five former assistants who are head coaches at the Division I level, which ranks tied for the fourth-most by any current Division I coach in college basketball. Morrill's former assistants who are current head coaches include Terry Dunn (Dartmouth), Jeff Jackson (Furman), Randy Rahe (Weber State), Blaine Taylor (Old Dominion) and Don Verlin (Idaho). Arizona State's Herb Sendek has the most assistants who are currently Division I head coaches with eight, followed by Louisville's Rick Pitino with seven and Connecticut's Jim Calhoun with six. Other coaches with five assistants as current Division I head coaches include Ben Braun of Rice, Tom Izzo of Michigan State and Jay Wright of Villanova.

RECAPPING THE UTAH GAME
Senior guard Jared Quayle scored a career-high 27 points and tied his career-high with 11 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as Utah defeated Utah State, 68-67, in an intra-state battle Wednesday night in Salt Lake City. Utah State falls to 1-1 on the season with the loss, while Utah improves to 1-1 with the win. Junior forward Nate Bendall added 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for Utah State as he posted his first-ever double-double, and fellow junior forward Tai Wesley added 14 points and eight rebounds. Quayle's double-double was the fourth of his career. Carlon Brown had a career-high 22 points to lead Utah, while Luka Drca finished the game with 11 points and a game-high six assists. Utah State led 47-40 with 12:54 to play following an 18-foot jumper from Bendall, but went scoreless over the next 5:31 as Utah scored 11 straight points. The Aggies regained the lead at 54-53 following Quayle's fifth three-pointer of the game, but the Utes answered with a three of its own on its next possession. With the game tied 56-56 with 4:44 remaining, Utah got back-to-back baskets from Brown and Kim Tillie to go up four. USU got within one following a pair of free throws from Quayle to make the score 65-64, but Utah finished the game by making 3-of-4 free throws in the final 26 seconds to secure the win. Utah led for much of the first half including a 23-18 advantage with 8:02 left before USU went on an 11-3 run to take a 29-26 advantage into the locker room. USU shot 42.3 percent (11-26) in the first half, while UU shot 34.5 percent (10-29). Utah State finished the game by shooting 45.5 percent from the field (25-55), 35.3 percent from three-point range (6-17) and 84.6 percent from the free throw line (11-13). Utah shot 42.9 percent overall (24-56), including 34.6 from behind the arc (9-26) and 78.6 percent at the charity stripe (11-14). The Aggies dominated the glass as it out-rebounded the taller Utes, 38-27. USU also had four more assists (14-10) and seven more turnovers (17-10) in the game.

NOTE-ABLES FROM THE UTAH GAME
• Utah State had won 30 straight games when leading at the half prior to tonight's loss.

• Utah State has now committed 17 turnovers in each of its first two games. Last year, USU ranked 10th in the nation with just 11.2 turnovers per game and had 17-plus turnovers in just five games the entire year.

• Utah State is now 26-10 versus in-state opponents during the last nine years including an 8-9 record on the road.

• Jared Quayle scored a career-high 27 points and tied his career-high with 11 rebounds. It was Quayle's fourth career double-double. Quayle has now scored in double-figures in both games this year and in 26 of his last 30 games dating back to last season. It was also his sixth career 20-point game. Quayle also had a career-high five made three-pointers in the game.

• Nate Bendall recorded a career-high 10 rebounds and notched his first-ever double-double. He has now scored in double-figures in both games this year.

• Tai Wesley scored in double-figures for the 45th time in his career and first this season.

QUAYLE RECORDS CAREER-HIGHS AGAINST UTAH
Senior guard Jared Quayle record several career-highs in Utah State's 68-67 loss at Utah Wednesday night. Quayle scored a career-high 27 points in the game and tied his career-high with 11 rebounds. He also made a career-high five three-pointers in the game. It was the fourth time in his career he has recorded a double-double and the sixth time he has scored at least 20 points. Overall, Quayle has now scored in double-figures 27 times in his career, including 26 times in his last 30 games.

BENDALL RECORDS FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Junior forward Nate Bendall recorded his first-ever double-double at Utah State as he had 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against Utah. Bendall has scored in double-figures in both games he has played in this year.

AGGIES SCHEDULE LOADED WITH POSTSEASON GAMES
Of its 31 regular season games scheduled this year, Utah State will play at least 13 games against teams who participated in postseason play last year. Utah State's non-conference schedule consists of seven games against postseason teams from a year ago as the Aggies will host Brigham Young, Morehead State, Saint Mary's and Weber State, and travel to Northeastern, Utah and Weber State. BYU, who will be making its first visit to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in four years, has played in the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons, while Morehead State and Utah also played in the Big Dance last season. Saint Mary's and Weber State both participated in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) a year ago, while Northeastern participated in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Other postseason teams from the 2008-09 season on Utah State's schedule include Idaho, who played in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, and Boise State and Nevada who both appeared in the CBI.

NEXT WEEK
Utah State will begin a season-long five-game homestand next week as it hosts Idaho State (0-3) on Tuesday, Nov. 24 and Southern Utah (2-2) on Saturday, Nov. 28 with both games beginning at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The game against SUU will be televised live on CW30.

SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
Northeastern is 0-1 on the season following a 59-53 loss at Siena Tuesday. The Huskies are led by senior guard Matt Janning who is averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.0 assists per game, while junior guard Chaisson Allen is averaging 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Northeastern is scoring 53.0 points per game and shooting 34.9 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from three-point range and 50.0 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, NU is allowing 59.0 points per game and its opponents are shooting 38.5 percent from the field, 15.4 percent from three-point range and 63.0 percent from the free throw line. Northeastern returns four starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team that went 19-13 on the season and tied for third-place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 12-6 league mark. NU advanced to the College Basketball Invitational where it defeated Wyoming, 64-62, on the road and then lost at UTEP, 75-66. Bill Coen is in his fourth year as the head coach of Northeastern and has an overall record of 46-50.

UTAH STATE-NORTHEASTERN SERIES HISTORY
Utah State and Northeastern will be meeting for just the second time ever this weekend as the Huskies won the only other meeting between the two teams, 96-91, on Nov. 29, 1986 at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage.

LAST MEETING AGAINST NORTHEASTERN
Behind 23 points from sharp-shooter Reggie Lewis, Northeastern held off Utah State, 96-91, to advance to the championship game of the 1986 Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 29. Derrick Lewis added 21 points for the Huskies, while Andre LaFleur and Wes Fuller also scored in double-figures with 16 and 11 points each. Kevin Nixon led Utah State with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Dan Conway scored 20 points. Reid Newey finished with 17 points and Jeff O. Andeson had 11 points for the Aggies. Northeastern led 23-8 with 11:55 left in the first half before USU tied the game at 25. NU then went into the locker room with a 46-35 advantage. The Huskies then hit three three-pointers to begin the second-half and led 59-44 with 15:30 to play. Once again, USU got within striking distance as it trailed 62-59 with 11:02 remaining and later 90-89 with 2:32 to play, but eventually lost, 96-91. Northeastern shot 51.5 percent from the field (34-66) and 85.7 percent from the free throw line (24-28), while Utah State shot 50.8 percent overall (32-63) and 78.6 percent from the free throw line (22-28). NU out-rebounded USU, 38-29, while both teams had 13 assists.

VERSUS THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Utah State is 3-1 (.750) against current members of the Colonial Athletic Conference as it has 1-0 records against Delaware, James Madison and Old Dominion, and an 0-1 record against Northeastern. The last time USU played a team from the Colonial Athletic Association was on Dec. 28, 1993 in Logan when it defeated Old Dominion, 77-74, in the Wyoming Cowboy Shootout in Casper, Wyo. USU head coach Stew Morrill has never faced Northeastern or any team from the Colonial Athletic Conference.

COACH MORRILL CONNECTIONS WITH THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Utah State head coach Stew Morrill does have some connection with the Colonial Athletic Conference as Old Dominion head coach Blaine Taylor was an assistant for Morrill from 1987-91, when Morrill was the head coach at the University of Montana.

VERSUS THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Utah State is 0-2 all-time against teams from the state of Massachusetts as it lost to Boston College, 120-118 in overtime, on Dec. 30, 1964 at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu and to Northeastern, 96-91, on Nov. 29, 1986 at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage. Former Aggie All-American Wayne Estes scored a school-record 52 points in that game against Boston College. USU has never played a basketball game in the state of Massachusetts.

UTAH STATE IN NOVEMBER
Utah State is 41-12 (.774) during the month of November under Coach Morrill, which includes a 10-8 (.556) road record and a 22-12 (.647) mark away from home. Utah State is 103-39 (.725) in games played on Saturday under Coach Morrill and 2-1 in games played on Nov. 21.

AGGIES IN THE AFTERNOON
Utah State is 16-15 (.516) under head coach Stew Morrill in games played in the afternoon.

UTAH STATE PICKED TO REPEAT AS WAC CHAMPIONS
Utah State's men's basketball team is picked to repeat as Western Athletic Conference champions according to both the league's coaches and media as the WAC announced its preseason polls Tuesday, Oct. 20. Utah State received eight first-place votes and 64 points in the coaches poll, while Nevada received one first-place vote and 53 points. New Mexico State received 50 points and was picked to finish third, followed by Idaho (42), Louisiana Tech (31), Fresno State (30), Boise State (23), San Jose State (19) and Hawai'i (12). In the media poll, Utah State garnered 15 first-place votes and 273 points, while Nevada was second with 269 points and 12 first-place votes. New Mexico State, who received 226 points and six first-place votes was picked third, while Idaho (193) and Boise State (145) rounded out the top five. Louisiana Tech (140) was picked sixth, followed by Fresno State (130), San Jose State (88) and Hawai'i (66). The Spartans also received one first-place vote in the media poll.

QUAYLE AND WESLEY NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAMS
Senior point guard Jared Quayle and junior forward Tai Wesley were both named to the WAC's various preseason teams as Quayle was named to the first-team by both the coaches and media, while Wesley was named to the coaches second-team. The coaches preseason first-team consisted of Mac Hopson (Idaho), Armon Johnson (Nevada) Jahmar Young (New Mexico State), Quayle and Luke Babbitt of Nevada who was selected as the preseason player of the year. The second-team had Roderick Flemings (Hawai'i), Paul George (Fresno State), Kyle Gibson (Louisiana Tech), Sylvester Seay (Fresno State), and Wesley. The media's preseason all-conference team included Hopson, Johnson, Quayle and Young, while Babbitt was selected as the league's preseason player of the year and Idaho's Steffan Johnson was voted as the WAC's newcomer of the year.

UTAH STATE TRADITION
•Over the last 10 years, Utah State has averaged 25.2 wins and is one of just three schools in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of those seasons joining Gonzaga and Kansas.

•Over the past 10 years, Utah State has won five regular season conference championships and five tournament championships.

•Utah State has advanced to 10 straight postseason appearances, which is a school record, going to the NCAA Tournament in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2009, and to the National Invitation Tournament in 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2008.

•Over the last 10 years, Utah State has gone 21-5 (.808) in conference postseason tournaments and has advanced to the championship game eight times.

•The Aggies have won 23-plus games in each of the last 10 seasons, which is a school record, bettering the old mark of three straight 20-win seasons from 1962-64.

•During the 2008-09 season, Utah State set a school record for wins with its 30-5 record and advanced to postseason play for the 27th time.

•During the 2008-09 season, Utah State led the nation in field goal shooting at 49.6 percent. It was the second straight year that USU has led the nation in field goal shooting and the third time in the last five years, which is the best five-year stretch in the history of the NCAA.

•Over the past nine seasons, Utah State has gone 252-78 overall and 130-38 in conference play. Those 252 wins are the sixth-most in the country over that time period, while its 76.4 percent winning percentage is the fourth-best in the country.

•The 1999-2000 team set a then school record with 28 wins and went a perfect 19-0 in the Big West Conference, marking only the third time in league history a team has gone undefeated.

•The 2000-01 team tied the school record for wins at the time (28) and recorded Utah State's first NCAA Tournament win in 31 years with a 77-68 overtime victory against Ohio State.

•From 2000-2001, Utah State won 26-straight Big West games, which is the fourth-longest winning streak in the history of the conference.

•Over the last 10 years, Utah State has recorded 10 of the 12 winningest seasons in school history.

•Over the past 10 years, Utah State has had four All-American selections, 16 first-team all-conference selections, 27 all-conference selections (first and second team) and 34 conference player of the week honorees, not to mention Coach Morrill being named the league's Coach of the Year on three separate occasions (2000, 2002, 2009).

QUAYLE NAMED SECOND-TEAM ALL-WAC IN 2009
Utah State returns one player from last season who was honored by the WAC in senior guard Jared Quayle (second-team all-WAC; WAC all-newcomer team). Quayle averaged 13.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists as a junior, while shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from three-point range and 76.4 percent from the free throw line. He finished the year ranking third in the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.05), sixth in steals (1.43), sixth in assists, seventh in free throw shooting, 11th in scoring and 12th in rebounding. Quayle was also named to the WAC's all-tournament team in 2009 and received high-major honorable mention All-American honors from CollegeHoops.net.

DILORETO THE TALLEST OF THEM ALL
Freshman center Anthony DiLoreto, who is listed at 7-1 on Utah State's 2009-10 roster, is just the sixth player in school history to be at least seven-feet tall. In fact, DiLoreto is the tallest player in school history as the other five players were all listed at 7-0. The other seven-footers who have played at Utah State are Larry Bunce (1967), Ed Gregg (1975-76), Nathan Wickizer (1992-95), Larrell Redic (1997) and Dimitri Jorssen (1999-2001).

WESLEY RANKS FOURTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN FIELD GOAL SHOOTING
Junior forward Tai Wesley is shooting 60.3 percent from the field (296-491) during his USU career, which ranks fourth all-time behind Nate Harris (2003-06) who shot 64.1 percent, Greg Houskeeper (1988-89) who shot 62.2 percent, and Spencer Nelson (1999, 2003-05) who shot 61.7 percent.

WESLEY RANKS FIFTH ALL-TIME IN BLOCKED SHOTS
In just 72 career games, junior forward Tai Wesley already ranks fifth all-time at Utah State with 64 career blocks. Wesley is now 26 blocks shy of tying Nate Harris (2083-06) for fourth all-time with 90 blocks.

NEWBOLD RANKS FOURTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN THREE-POINT SHOOTING
Junior guard Tyler Newbold is shooting 42.5 percent (97-228) from three-point range during his career, which ranks fourth all-time at Utah State behind Jaycee Carroll (2005-08) who shot 46.5 percent, Justin Jones (1996-98) who shot 44.9 percent, and Kendall Youngblood (1989-92) who shot 44.8 percent.

NEWBOLD RANKS SEVENTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN THREE-POINTERS MADE
Junior guard Tyler Newbold has made 97 three-pointers in his Utah State career, which ranks seventh all-time in school history. He also ranks ninth all-time in three-point attempts with 228. Newbold is now 15 made three-pointer shy of tying Troy Rolle (1999-00) for sixth-place all-time with 112 made three-pointers and one three-point attempts shy of tying Jeff O. Anderson (1985-88) for eighth-place all-time with 229 three-point attempts.

QUAYLE ONE OF 30 CANDIDATES FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Utah State's Jared Quayle has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2009-10 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year. It is the third year in a row that a Utah State player has been named one of 30 national candidates for this award as Jaycee Carroll was selected as one of 10 finalists in 2008 and Gary Wilkinson was one of 30 candidates in 2009. Quayle, a 6-1 senior guard from Perry, Utah is the only player from the state of Utah and the only player from the WAC to be selected for this award.

UTAH STATE GRADUATES WAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON
Utah State lost three lettermen from last season, including one starter in Gary Wilkinson who was named the WAC's Player of the Year as he averaged 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, and shot 58.0 percent from the field and 82.6 percent from the free throw line. USU also lost the WAC Player of the Year in 2008 in guard Jaycee Carroll who averaged 22.4 points and 6.0 rebounds, and shot 52.6 percent from the field, 49.6 percent from three-point range and 91.9 percent from the free throw line.

NEWBOLD LEADS THE NATION IN ASSIST-TO-TURNOVER RATIO
Sophomore guard Tyler Newbold finished the 2008-09 season leading the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.96-to-1.00. That ratio is also a school record, breaking the old mark of 2.38 set by Kris Clark during the 2007-08 season. Senior forward Gary Wilkinson also ranked among the nation's best in field goal shooting as he ranked 24th overall at 58.0 percent.

UTAH STATE IN THE DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM
Utah State finished its 2008-09 regular season with a 17-0 home record, which is tied for the most wins in a single-season. It is also just the fifth time in the 39-year history of the building that an Aggie team has gone undefeated at home. Utah State is now 159-12 (.930) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Coach Morrill, which includes a 84-8 (.913) record against conference opponents and a 29-3 (.906) record against WAC teams. Overall, USU is 453-105 (.812) in 39 years in the building.

UTAH STATE OWNS NATIONS SECOND-LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAK
Utah State has won 34 straight home games which is the second-longest active winning streak in the nation behind Kansas who has won 43 straight at home. Those 34 straight home wins are also a school record, breaking the previous mark of 31 straight home wins set from the 2000 to 2002 seasons. Overall, USU has gone undefeated at home five times in school history and it is the first time in school history that USU has gone undefeated at home in back-to-back seasons.

UTAH STATE AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Over the last 10 years, Utah State has been one of the best basketball programs in the country, recording a 253-79 (.762) record. Those 253 wins are the fifth-most in the country, while the 76.2 percent winning percentage is fourth-best behind Duke (.829), Kansas (.801), and Gonzaga (800). USU has also been among the top teams in the country in field goal and free throw shooting as it led the nation in both categories during the 2008 season, and led the nation in field goal shooting this year at 49.6 percent.

UTAH STATE HAS DOMINATED CONFERENCE PLAY SINCE 2000
Since joining the Western Athletic Conference prior to the 2005-06 season, Utah State has been one of the most consistent programs in the league and has the second-best record in WAC games during the last four years with a 46-18 (.719) mark. During its first four years in the league, Utah State has won two regular season championships (2008, 2009), one tournament championship (2009), and has played in the tournament championship game three times (2006, 2007, 2009).

AGGIES LEAD THE NATION IN SHOOTING FOR SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON
Utah State shot 49.6 percent from the field during the 2008-09 season to lead the nation for the second straight year (USU shot 51.4 percent in 2008 to lead the nation). USU also led the nation in field goal shooting during the 2004-05 season as it shot 52.5 percent. Utah State is the first team to lead the nation in shooting in consecutive seasons since UCLA did it in 1996 and 1997, and just the eighth team in the history of the NCAA to accomplish the feat. George Washington is the only school to lead the nation in three straight years as it accomplished that feat from 1954-56. USU's current run of being the top shooting team in the nation in three of the last five years is the best-ever streak in the history of NCAA Division I basketball.

RANKING UTAH STATE IN THE WAC
Utah State finished the 2008-09 season ranking first in the WAC in scoring margin (+10.4), field goal shooting (.496), field goal shooting defense (.419), scoring defense (62.0), rebound margin (+6.7), and assists (16.17). USU also ranked second in free throw shooting (.740) and three-point field goal shooting (.394), and third in scoring (72.4). Individually, senior forward Gary Wilkinson ranked second in the WAC in scoring (17.1) and free throw shooting (.826), fourth in field goal shooting (.580), and sixth in rebounding (6.8), while sophomore forward Tai Wesley ranked second in the WAC in field goal shooting (.592) and 11th in rebounding (6.0). Junior guard Jared Quayle ranked third in the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.05), sixth in steals (1.43), sixth in assists (3.74), seventh in free throw shooting (.764), eighth in three-point shooting (.388), 11th in scoring (13.1), and 12th in rebounding (6.0). Sophomore guard Tyler Newbold ranked first in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.96), seventh in three-point shooting (.395) and 10th in assists (3.17), and junior guard Stavon Williams ranked fifth in three-point shooting (.426).

UTAH STATE LEADS THE WAC WITH ALL-ACADEMIC HONOREES
Utah State had six players earn academic all-WAC honors during the 2008-09 season (Matt Formisano, Brady Jardine, Tyler Newbold, Jared Quayle, Gary Wilkinson, Stavon Williams), while the other eight teams in the league combined for 10 academic all-WAC honorees.

UTAH STATE PLAYERS FROM THE STATE OF UTAH
Aggie players from the state of Utah include senior guard Jared Quayle (Perry/Box Elder HS), junior forward Nate Bendall (Salt Lake City/Skyline HS), junior guard Brian Green (Kaysville/Davis HS), junior forward Morgan Grim (Riverton/Riverton HS), junior guard Tyler Newbold (Payson/Payson HS), junior forward Tai Wesley (Provo/Provo HS), sophomore guard Jaxon Myaer (Salt Lake City/Judge Memorial HS), and freshman guard Preston Eaton (Sprinigville/Springville HS). The eight players from the state of Utah on the 2009-10 roster are the most since the 1985-86 team also had eight. The school record for most in-state players is nine set during the 1972-73 and 1983-84 seasons.

DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State head coach Stew Morrill (268-91) is the winningest coach in school history and is second all-time in games coached (359) behind the legendary E. Lowell Romney (382). Morrill is also the second-longest tenured coach at Utah State (12th season) behind Romney (1920-41).

UTAH STATE RETURNING PLAYER NOTES
#5 Pooh Williams - Started 31 games and played in all 35 during his sophomore season... Finished the year by averaging 5.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, while shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point range and 68.1 percent from the free throw line... Played an average of 24.6 minutes per game... During league games, he averaged 6.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 49.4 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from three-point range and 78.6 percent from the free throw line... Averaged 10.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists during the WAC Tournament as he shot 52.9 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from three-point range and was a perfect 11-of-11 at the free throw line... Scored in double-figures seven times during the season, including a career-high 17 points against San Jose State at home in the regular season finale as he was 7-of-10 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range... Registered a career-high six rebounds at Louisiana Tech and had a career-high six assists against both Utah and SJSU at home.

#15 Modou Niang - Received a medical redshirt after breaking his hand against Howard on Dec. 29... Prior to his injury he had appeared in eight games for an average of 9.3 minutes per contest... His best game of the season was at home against Cal Poly as he scored a career-high eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and added a career-high six rebounds in just 13 minutes... Played a season-high 16 minutes against Howard and had six points and four rebounds before suffering his season-ending injury... Finished the year by averaging 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field (8-12) and 45.5 percent from the free throw line (5-11)... Also had four blocks, four assists and two dunks.

#21 Jared Quayle - Earned second-team all-WAC honors as well as being named to the league's all-newcomer team as a junior as he finished the year by averaging 13.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, while shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from three-point range and 76.4 percent from the free throw line... Was named a high major honorable mention All-American by CollegeHoops.net and to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 6 second-team... Finished the year ranking third in the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.05), sixth in steals (1.43), sixth in assists, seventh in free throw shooting, eighth in three-point shooting, 11th in scoring and 12th in rebounding... His assist-to-turnover ratio (2.05) ranks eighth all-time at USU for a single-season and was 56th in the nation... Was the fourth-best rebounding point guard in the nation... Started 33 games in his first year at Utah State and averaged 30.2 minutes per game (1,057) to rank third on the team and 19th all-time at USU... Scored in double-figures 25 times during the season, including 24 times in his last 28 games... Had five 20-point outings during the season including a season-high 24 points against Wyoming in the championship game of the Duel in the Desert hosted by Utah State... Posted three double-doubles during the season including 17 points and a season-high 11 rebounds against Howard in the first game of the Duel in the Desert... Also had 10 rebounds to go along with his career-high 24 points against Wyoming and had 15 points and 10 rebounds at Nevada in the championship game of the WAC Tournament... Was named the Most Valuable Player of the Duel in the Desert as he posted two double-doubles during the three-day tournament and averaged 18.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists... Had 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists against Marquette in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament as he was 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point range... Was named to the WAC's all-tournament team as he averaged 13.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game... Was Utah State's top assist man 14 times during the season, and its leading scorer and rebounder eight times... An academic all-WAC selection.

#22 Brady Jardine - Sat out the first 11 games of the season as a potential redshirt before seeing his first collegiate action against Houston Baptist on Dec. 30... Played in 22 games during the season and averaged 7.7 minutes per contest... Finished the year by averaging 1.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 34.1 percent from the field and 48.0 percent from the free throw line... Had 11 blocks during the season to finish tied for third on the team... Also had 30 offensive rebounds in limited playing time, which was the fifth-most on the team... Averaged 2.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in league games... Had his best game of the season at Hawai'i as he scored five points and recorded a season-high 10 rebounds... Also had nine rebounds at home against New Mexico State... Scored a season-high seven points against Cal State Bakersfield as he was 2-of-3 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line... His season-high in blocks was three at home against Hawai'i... Had three dunks and took three charges during the season... An academic all-WAC honoree.

#24 Tyler Newbold - Started all 35 games at shooting guard as a sophomore and led the team in minutes played with 1,134 (32.4 mpg), which ranks sixth all-time in school history for a single-season... Averaged 9.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, while shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from three-point range and 76.2 percent from the free throw line... Finished the year with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.96-to-1.00, which led the nation and ranked first all-time at Utah State... Also ranked seventh in the WAC in three-point shooting and 10th in assists per game... Led the team with 60 made thee-pointers and was tied for the team lead in three-point attempts (152)... Had 111 assists during the season, to rank second on the team, to go along with just 28 turnovers... Scored in double-figures 14 times during the season, including a career-high 21 points against UC Irvine as he was 8-of-11 from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arc... Recorded a career-high nine rebounds against Brigham Young and Hawai'i at home, and had a career-high eight assists at New Mexico State... Made a 12-foot baseline jumper with just over three seconds to play to defeat New Mexico State, 71-70, in the semifinals of the 2009 WAC Tournament... Finished the year second on the team with six charges taken to go along with two dunks... Led the team in assists 13 times and rebounding four times... An academic all-WAC selection.

#25 Jaxon Myaer - Started the first six games of the year at the point and played in 32 during the season... Finished the year by averaging 3.6 points and 1.0 assists per game, while shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 39.0 percent from three-point range and 76.5 percent from the free throw line... His 23 made three-pointers ranked fourth on the team, as did his 59 three-point attempts... Had a solid start to the season as he scored five points and had a season-high five assists in his first-ever collegiate game against Montana State-Northern... He then scored in double-figures in his next two games at UC Santa Barbara and at home against Weber State as he had 11 points against the Gauchos and a season-high 13 points against the Wildcats... Versus UC Santa Barbara, he was 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range... Tied his season-high with five assists at home against UC Irvine... Had a season-high four rebounds in the regular season finale at home against San Jose State... Played a season-high 33 minutes against Weber State and played 20-plus minutes in seven of his first eight games of the season.

#42 Tai Wesley - Started all 35 games for Utah State as a sophomore and finished the season averaging 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, while shooting 59.2 percent from the field and 68.4 percent from three-point range... Earned NABC All-District 6 second-team honors... Ranked second in the WAC in field goal shooting and was 11th in rebounding... Scored in double-figures 26 times during the year, including two 20-point games... Had a season-high 26 points and a career-high five steals against Boise State at home as he was 9-of-12 from the field and 7-of-12 from the free throw line... Also posted four double-doubles during the season including 14 points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds at Nevada in the championship game of the WAC Tournament... Was named to the WAC's all-tournament team as he averaged 10.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game... Was one assist shy of recording just the fourth triple-double in school history at home against Weber State as he finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists... Named to the USU hosted Duel in the Desert all-tournament team as he averaged 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game... Was USU's top rebounder 14 times, its top scorer eight times and its top assist man six times during the season... Led the team for the second year in a row with 11 charges taken to go along with five dunks.

#44 Matt Formisano - Appeared in 34 games off the bench as a sophomore and averaged 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game... Shot 48.0 percent from the field and 63.2 percent from the free throw line... Scored a career-high 10 points against Houston Baptist in the second game of the 2008 Duel in the Desert, hosted by USU... Was 4-of-6 from the field against HBU and added four rebounds, one block and one steal in the game... Recorded a career-high six rebounds in three separate games during the season against Cal Poly, at Utah Valley and at Boise State... Played a season-high 23 minutes against Cal Poly and finished the game with eight points and six rebounds as he was 4-of-6 from the field... Scored the game-winning basket at UC Santa Barbara with three seconds left on an offensive rebound... Took two charges and had one dunk during the season... Earned academic all-WAC honors.

HEAD COACH Stew Morrill
In his 24th season as a collegiate head coach and 12th year at Utah State, Stew Morrill has taken the Aggie Basketball program to unprecedented heights leading it to an incredible 268-92 (.744) record, including a 138-46 (.750) conference mark in the Big West and WAC. Morrill became the winningest coach in school history on Jan. 17, 2008 in the Aggies' 82-78 win against Boise State, passing E. Lowell Romney (1920-41) who won 225 games in 22 seasons. In his first 11 years at USU, Morrill has guided the Aggies to 10 straight 23-win seasons and 10 straight postseason appearances (NCAA-6, NIT-4), both of which are school records. Morrill has also led Utah State to the fourth-best winning percentage in the nation during the last 10-plus years at 76.2 percent with an overall record of 253-79. Against conference opponents, Utah State has a 159-52 record with five regular season league championships and five tournament titles during that time, including appearances in its league's tournament championship game eight times in the last 10 years. Under Morrill, Utah State has notched 10 of the top 12 seasons in school history during the last 10 years as the Aggies set a school record with 28 wins during the 2000 season, tied that record with 28 wins during the 2001 season, and set a new school record with 30 wins in 2009. During the 2008-09 season, Morrill guided Utah State to its second straight Western Athletic Conference regular season championship and its first WAC Tournament title. The 2008-09 Aggie basketball team also led the nation in field goal shooting at 49.6 percent, marking the second straight year and the third time in the last last five years that USU has led the nation in that category. For the 10th straight year, USU had at least one player earn first-team all-league accolades as Gary Wilkinson was named the WAC Player of the Year in 2009, while Jaycee Carroll was named the league's MVP in 2008. Overall, Morrill has coached 11 first-team all-league players at Utah State who have won the award a total of 16 times. Morrill has also taken full advantage of the home court at USU, the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. In Morrill's 11 years, USU is an amazing 159-12 (.930) at home, which includes an 84-8 (.913) record in league play. As for Morrill, he has won 20 or more games on 14 different occasions during his career, and he has won at least 17 games 20 times. Overall, Morrill ranks 23rd in the nation among active coaches and 96th all-time with his 486 career wins, while his career winning percentage of 67.9 percent ranks 28th among active coaches and 100th all-time. He is also one of 27 active coaches with 400 career wins at the Division I level and one of just 13 active coaches to notch at least 14 20-win seasons. His current streak of 10 straight 20-win seasons ranks ninth among active coaches and is tied for the 13th-longest streak ever at the Division I level. Morrill has also been named Coach of the Year (2000 BWC, 2002 BWC, 2009 WAC) three times in his 11 years at USU, along with winning the Big Sky award while the head coach at Montana in 1991. His overall coaching record is 486-230 (.679).