Nov. 23, 2009

LOGAN, Utah -

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAME 4
Utah State (1-2) vs. Idaho State (1-3)
Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 • 7:05 p.m. (MT) • Logan, Utah
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) • Aggie Radio Network

GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is in its 105th season of basketball and has an overall record of 1,402-996 (.585).

• Utah State has lost consecutive games for the first time since the end of the 2007-08 season, a span of 38 games, 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. The last time USU lost three straight games was during the 2007-08 season, a span of 47 games, when it dropped road games at Nevada (85-80), Hawai'i (71-66) and San Jose State (70-67).

• During the last 11 years, Utah State is 52-17 (.754) following a loss and has dropped back-to-back games just 14 times. Overall, USU has loss three consecutive games just once in the last 11 years.

• Utah State is 1-2 to start a season for the first time since the 1995-96 campaign. It is also the first time Utah State has had a losing record at any point during a season since the beginning of the 2007-08 season when it was 3-4. Overall, it is just the third time in 12 years under head coach Stew Morrill that USU has had a losing record at some point during the year as the 2006-07 team lost its season-opener before winning eight straight.

• Utah State has won 34 straight home games dating back to the 2007-08 season which is a school-record and the second-longest home winning streak in the nation behind Kansas who has won 42 straight home games. Overall, USU has won 49 of its last 50 home games dating back to the 2005-06 season with its only loss during that stretch coming against Fresno State, 71-66, on March 3, 2007.

• Utah State has won 38 straight home games against non-conference opponents and 62 of its last 64 overall. The last non-conference opponent to beat USU at home was Hawai'i, 85-74, in the first round of the 2004 postseason NIT. USU has also won 62 straight regular season non-conference home games and the last time the Aggies lost a non-conference home game during the regular season was on Jan. 8, 2000 against BYU, 82-73.

• Utah State is 159-12 (.922) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Coach Morrill, which includes a 75-4 (.949) record against non-league opponents. Overall, USU is 453-105 (.812) in 39 years in the building.

• Utah State is 43-9 (.827) all-time in home openers dating back to the 1957-58 season and has won 15 straight overall. The last time USU lost its home opener was on Dec. 7, 1993 to Weber State, 87-86.

THIS WEEK
Utah State (1-2) will begin its season-long five-game homestand against Idaho State (1-3) on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. USU will then host Southern Utah (3-2) on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. Saturday's game against the Thunderbirds will be televised live on CW30. Overall, USU will play nine of its next 11 games at home before starting Western Athletic Conference play.

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 1-2 on the season following a pair of road losses at Utah (68-67) and Northeastern (64-61) last weekend. USU is led by senior guard Jared Quayle who is averaging 14.7 points and 9.7 rebounds, while shooting 44.1 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from three-point range and 87.5 percent at the free throw line. Junior forward Nate Bendall is averaging 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds, while shooting 75.0 percent from the field and is a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line, and junior forward Tai Wesley is averaging 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds, while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from the free throw line. As a team, Utah State is averaging 64.7 points and is shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three-point range and 84.8 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, USU is allowing 64.0 points per game and its opponents are shooting 39.3 percent from the field, 23.3 percent from three-point range and 80.7 percent from the free throw line.

UTAH STATE DURING ITS TWO-GAME LOSING STREAK
During its current two-game losing streak, Utah State is averaging 64.0 points and shooting 42.9 percent from the field (48-112), 39.4 percent from three-point range (13-33) and 82.6 percent from the free throw line (19-23). Defensively, USU is allowing 66.0 points and its opponents are shooting 42.9 percent from the field (45-105), 30.0 percent from behind the arc (12-40) and 78.9 percent from the free throw line (30-38).

RANKING UTAH STATE IN THE WAC
As of Nov. 22, Utah State ranks first in the WAC in field goal percentage defense (.393), three-point field percentage defense (.233) and free throw shooting (.848). USU is also second in scoring defense (64.0), third in three-point shooting (.378), and fourth in rebound margin (+5.3). Individually, junior forward Nate Bendall ranks first in free throw shooting (1.000), third in field goal shooting (.750) and ninth in rebounding (8.0). Senior guard Jared Quayle ranks fourth in three-point shooting (.538), fourth in rebounding (9.7) and 10th in assists (3.0). Junior forward Tai Wesley ranks eighth in blocked shots (1.33) and sophomore guard Jaxon Myaer ranks first in three-point shooting (1.000).

AGGIES BEGIN THE SEASON ON THE ROAD
Utah State began the 2009-10 season on the road as it played three straight road games to start a season for the first time since the 1981-82 team also played its first three games of the season on the road. Furthermore, each of its first three opponents this year played in the postseason last season as Weber State played in the National Invitational Tournament, Utah played in the NCAA Tournament and Northeastern played in the College Basketball Invitational.

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.

AGGIES LOOKING TO AVOID ANOTHER SCORING DROUGHT
In each of its last two games, Utah State has encountered a prolonged scoring drought in the second-half. Against Utah, USU led 47-40 before going 5:31 without a point as the Utes scored 11 straight points to take a four-point lead. Against Northeastern, USU led 43-33 before going scoreless for 6:44 as the Huskies went on an 11-0 run to take its first lead of the game at 44-43.

RECAPPING THE NORTHEASTERN GAME
Northeastern rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Utah State, 64-61, in Boston Saturday afternoon. USU, who has led at the half of all three of its games this year, falls to 1-2 on the season with the loss and Northeastern improves to 1-1 with the win. Utah State has now lost back-to-back games for the first time since the end of the 2007-08 season, a span of 38 games, and for just the 14 time in the last 11 years. Junior forward Tai Wesley led Utah State with 16 points and four rebounds, while fellow junior forward Nate Bendall scored a career-high 15 points to go along with nine boards. Junior guard Tyler Newbold added 10 points, while senior guard Jared Quayle had six points and 10 rebounds for his fifth career double-figure rebounding game including his second straight. Matt Janning had 14 points to lead Northeastern, while Nkem Ojougboh had 13 points and nine rebounds. Utah State began the game with a 19-4 run as Wesley scored the first six points for USU followed by a three-pointer from Quayle. USU then got baskets from junior forward Matt Formisano and Wesley, along with a pair of three-pointers from sophomore guard Jaxon Myaer for the early lead. Utah State led 24-11 with 8:45 to play when Northeastern went on a 10-4 run to get within seven. The Huskies later cut the lead to four at 32-28 on a free throw before Newbold hit a jumper at the top of the key to make it 34-28 at the half. Wesley had 12 points to lead Utah State in the first half as it shot 42.4 percent from the field (14-33) and 50.0 percent from three-point range (4-8). Janning had nine first half points for Northeastern as it shot 37.5 percent (9-24) overall and 28.6 percent from behind the arc (72.7). Following a dunk from Janning to start the second half, Utah State scored seven straight points to extend its lead to 41-30. NU then went on a 14-2 run over the next seven-plus minutes to take its first lead of the game at 44-43. The Huskies extended its margin to six at 53-47 before USU went on an 8-2 run to tie it at 55-55 with 3:53 to play. With the game tied at 58-58, Northeastern hit four consecutive free throws following back-to-back turnovers from Utah State and went on for the three-point win. Utah State finished the game shooting a season-low 40.4 percent from the field (23-57), but did make 43.8 percent of its three-pointers (7-16) and 80.0 percent of its free throws (8-10). Northeastern shot 42.9 percent overall (21-49) and 79.2 percent from the free throw line (19-24). NU was just 3-of-14 (.214) behind the arc.

UTAH STATE REBOUNDING THE BALL WELL
Utah State has out-rebounded all three of its opponents this year and is averaging 35.7 rebounds per game as compared to 30.3 for its opponents for a margin of plus 5.3 boards per game. Last year, USU ranked 14th in the nation in rebound margin at plus 6.7 boards per game.

UTAH STATE NOT HOLDING LEADS THUS FAR
Utah State has struggled early on this season with leads, and in fact, is 1-2 on the year when leading at the half. Prior to losing at Utah, a game in which USU led 29-26 at the half, Utah State had won 30 straight games when leading after 20 minutes. However, USU has lost each of its last two games when leading at the half as it led Northeastern 34-28 at the break.

COMPARING UTAH STATE'S FIRST HALVES AND SECOND HALVES THIS YEAR
Through three games this year, Utah State has been a much better basketball team in the first-half rather than the second. In the first-half this year, USU is averaging 30.3 points and shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range, while its opponents are averaging 25.0 points and shooting 33.7 percent from the field and 24.2 percent from behind the arc. In the second-half, USU is averaging 34.3 points and shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from behind the arc, while its opponents are averaging 39.0 points and shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from behind the arc.

UTAH STATE TURNING THE BALL OVER
Thus far this year, Utah State is averaging 16.3 turnovers per game as it had 17 turnovers against both Weber State and Utah, and 15 against Northeastern. During the 2008-09 season, USU ranked 10th in the nation for fewest turnovers committed per game at 11.2.

UTAH STATE GETTING CALLED FOR A LOT OF FOULS
Utah State has already committed 62 fouls this year for an average of 20.7 per game. Last year, USU ranked 16th in the nation for fewest fouls committed per game with an average of 15.4. With the high number of fouls called against USU, its opponents are 46-of-57 (.807) from the free throw line, while USU has taken just 46 free throws, making 39.

UTAH STATE HAS LOW NUMBER OF ASSISTS THUS FAR
Utah State is averaging just 10.3 assists per game this year as it had five against Weber State, 14 against Utah and 12 against Northwestern. Last year, USU ranked 18th in the nation with 16.8 assists per game.

NEXT WEEK
Utah State will remain home next week and host Brigham Young on Wednesday, Dec. 2 and Saint Mary's on Saturday, Dec. 5 with both games beginning at 7 p.m. Both games will also be televised live on CW30. USU will then take the week off for finals before concluding its five-game homestand against Utah Valley on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m., in a game that will also be televised live on CW30.

SCOUTING IDAHO STATE
Idaho State is 1-3 on the season following a 77-60 home win against Colorado Christian in its last game Saturday. The Bengals began the season with road losses to Iowa State (88-68), Bradley (74-69) and Brigham Young (87-53). ISU is led by senior guard Amorrow Morgan who is averaging 17.8 points, while junior guard Broderick Gilchrest is averaging 14.8 points per game. Senior forward Demetrius Monroe is averaging 9.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. As a team, Idaho State is averaging 66.8 points and shooting 42.4 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from three-point range and 74.4 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, ISU is allowing 77.2 points and its opponents are shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from three-point range and 77.0 percent from the free throw line. The Bengals return four starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team that went 13-19 overall and finished in fourth-place in the Big Sky Conference with an 9-7 league record. Joe O'Brien is 39-58 in four seasons as a collegiate head coach at Idaho State.

UTAH STATE VS. IDAHO STATE RIVALRY ONE OF THE OLDEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Utah State and Idaho State will be playing for the 46th time this week in what is the 15th-oldest rivalry in school history. USU's first game against Idaho State was during the 1942-43 season.

UTAH STATE-IDAHO STATE SERIES HISTORY
Utah State and Idaho State will be meeting for the 46th time this week with the Aggies owning a 32-13 advantage. USU is 13-2 all-time in known home games against the Bengals and has won 10 straight games in the series, including each of the last six at home. The last time the two teams played was on Dec. 20, 2008 in Pocatello with USU posting a 67-57 win. The last time the two teams played in Logan was on Dec. 1, 2006 with the Aggies notching an 83-46 win. The last time Idaho State defeated Utah State was on Dec. 30, 1981 in Logan, 74-70.

VERSUS THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
Utah State is 187-98 (.656) all-time against current members of the Big Sky Conference, while Coach Morrill is 66-20 (.767) all-time against the league. At Utah State, Morrill is 18-6 (.750) versus the Big Sky and 7-0 against Idaho State. All-time, Morrill is 19-1 against the Bengals, which includes a 10-1 record while at Montana, a 2-0 record while at Colorado State and a 7-0 record at Utah State.

VERSUS THE STATE OF IDAHO
Under Coach Morrill, Utah State is 39-7 (.848) versus teams from the state of Idaho, which includes a 12-4 record against Boise State, a 20-3 record against Idaho and a 7-0 record versus Idaho State.

AGGIES FROM THE STATE OF IDAHO
Utah State has one player on its current roster who is from the state of Idaho in sophomore forward Brady Jardine. Jardine prepped at Twin Falls HS and was named the Idaho Gatorade and 5A Player of the Year as a senior in 2005 as he averaged 17.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in leading them to a 24-2 record and the school's first state championship in 32 years.

UTAH STATE IN NOVEMBER
Utah State is 41-13 (.759) during the month of November under Coach Morrill, which includes a 19-0 record at home. In fact, USU has won 23 straight home games during November and the last team to beat the Aggies at home during the 11th month was Utah, 60-41, on Nov. 26, 1996. Utah State is 16-6 (.727) in games played on Tuesday under Coach Morrill and 5-2 in games played on Nov. 24.

UTAH STATE IN CLOSE GAMES
Utah State has not fared will in close games as of late as it is 0-2 on the season in games decided by three or fewer points as it lost to Utah by one point and Northeastern by three points. Prior to its one point loss to Marquette (58-57) in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, Utah State had won 10 of its previous 12 games decided by two or fewer points including five straight wins in games decided by just one point.

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

DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State head coach Stew Morrill (268-93) is the winningest coach in school history and is second all-time in games coached (361) 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 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.

LAST MEETING AGAINST THE BENGALS
Junior guard Jared Quayle scored 11 points to lead a quarter of double-figure scorers for Utah State as it notched its fourth road win of the season with a 67-57 victory at Idaho State on Dec. 20, 2008. USU has won 10 straight games against ISU. Quayle also added a season-high four assists and tied his season-high with seven rebounds for Utah State. Junior guard Stavon Williams came off the bench to score 11 points for the Aggies, while sophomore guard Tyler Newbold also scored 11 to go along with four assists. Sophomore forward Tai Wesley finished with 10 points and five rebounds, while senior forward Gary Wilkinson just missed recording his second double-double of the season as he posted nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Lucas Steijn had 15 points for Idaho State to lead all scorers, but was the only Bengal to finish in double-figures. Sophomore guard Pooh Williams scored the first two points of the game via a dunk and then hit his first three-pointer of the season to give Utah State an early 7-2 advantage. Idaho State cut the Aggies lead to one on three separate occasions only to see the visitors push the margin to 10 at 29-19 on a baseline jumper by Wilkinson with 6:00 minutes to play in the half. ISU responded with an 8-2 run to get within four, but Newbold drained a three-pointer just before the half to give the visitors a 34-27 lead at the break. In the first-half, Utah State shot just 40.6 percent from the field (13-32), but made 6-of-16 three-pointers (.375). Idaho State shot 44.0 percent in the first 20 minutes (11-25), but was out-rebounded 19-13, as the Aggies had eight offensive boards in the first-half. Utah State took its biggest lead of the game at 52-37 with 12:39 to play as Wilkinson hit a 17-foot jumper. Idaho State tried to claw its way back into the game and got within six points at 63-57 with 26 seconds to play, but USU finished the game by going 4-of-4 from the charity stripe as Newbold hit two free throws and Stavon Williams hit two more. Utah State finished the game by shooting 43.6 percent from the field (24-55), 36.0 percent from three-point range (9-25), and a season-low 58.8 percent from the free throw line (10-17). USU did tie its season-high with nine made three-pointers and shot a season-high 25 treys. Defensively, USU held Idaho State to just 37.7 percent shooting overall (20-53), including 23.1 percent from behind the arc (3-13). The Bengals did have the advantage at the free throw line, shooting 73.7 percent (14-19). Utah State continued to pound the boards, as it out-rebounded Idaho State, 38-34, and USU has now out-rebounded all nine of its opponents this season.

LAST MEETING AGAINST THE BENGALS IN LOGAN
Jaycee Carroll hit 7-of-8 field goal attempts as the junior guard scored a game-high 22 points to lead Utah State to an 83-46 victory against Idaho State in Logan on Dec. 1, 2006. Utah State shot 63.8 percent from the field for the game, including a blistering 72.7 percent in the first half. USU also held Idaho State to just 34 percent from the field. The Aggies had five other players in double figures in addition to Carroll as Durrall Peterson scored 17 on 6-of-9 shooting, Stephen DuCharme had 11 on 4-of-4 shooting, and Chaz Spicer, Mikel Watson and Chris Session all added 10 points. Idaho State was led by John Ofoegbu, who scored 15 points off the bench. Demetrius Monroe added a team-high six rebounds for the visitors, while USU was led by Session's seven boards. Utah State put the game out of reach early, going on a 19-6 run to close the first half. In fact, the Aggies scored the final eight points of the half to take a 47-26 advantage into the locker room. USU also had a run early in the game after ISU pulled within 10-9, as the Aggies scored 10 straight points, including two consecutive three-pointers by Carroll, who scored eight straight points in the stretch. In the second half, USU pushed the margin to 30 points before the first media time-out at 60-30 and made it a 40-point game with 4:07 left at 83-42. USU hit 9-of-17 three-point attempts as Peterson drained 5-of-7 attempts and Carroll made 4-of-5 treys. The Aggies also shot well from the line, making 14-of-17 charity tosses.

QUAYLE IS ONCE AGAIN ONE OF THE TOP REBOUNDING GUARDS IN THE NATION
Senior guard Jared Quayle ranked as the fourth-best rebounding point guard in the nation during his junior season with an average of 6.0 boards per game, and he has picked up right where he left off last year as he is currently averaging 9.7 boards per game. Quayle began the year by notching eight rebounds against Weber State, then tied his career-high with 11 boards against Utah before grabbing 10 boards at Northeastern. Overall, Quayle has recorded five double-digit rebound games in his career.

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 31 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 then scored a career-high 15 points at Northeastern in his last game. Overall, he has scored in double-figures in all three games he has played in this year.

MYAER TIES CAREER-HIGH WITH THREE MADE THREE-POINTERS AT NORTHEASTERN
Sophomore guard Jaxon Myaer tied his career-high for made three-pointers as he made all three of his three-point attempts in the first-half against Northeastern. For his career, Myaer is shooting 42.9 percent from behind the arc (27-63).

WESLEY PLAYING WELL IN HIS LAST TWO GAMES
After recording just four points and five rebounds in his first game of the year against Weber State, junior forward Tai Wesley has played much better in his last two games as he had 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists against Utah, and 16 points and four rebounds against Northeastern. During his last two games, Wesley is averaging 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting 56.5 percent from the field.

WESLEY RANKS FOURTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN FIELD GOAL SHOOTING
Junior forward Tai Wesley is shooting 60.5 percent from the field (291-481) 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 73 career games, junior forward Tai Wesley already ranks fifth all-time at Utah State with 66 career blocks. Wesley is now 24 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 (99-233) 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 99 three-pointers in his Utah State career, which ranks seventh all-time in school history. He also ranks eighth all-time in three-point attempts with 233. Newbold is now 13 made three-pointers shy of tying Troy Rolle (1999-00) for sixth-place all-time with 112 made three-pointers and 22 three-point attempts shy of tying Curtis Bobb (2000-01) for seventh-place all-time with 255 three-point attempts.

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).

UTAH STATE ON THE ROAD
Utah State is 77-65 (.542) on the road under Coach Morrill, which includes a 23-25 (.479) record against non-conference opponents. During the last two years, Utah State is 12-5 on the road and 14-7 away from home.

UTAH STATE AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Over the last 11 years, Utah State has been one of the best basketball programs in the country, recording a 253-80 (.760) record. Those 253 wins are the fifth-most in the country, while the 76.0 percent winning percentage is fourth-best behind Duke (.831), Kansas (.803), and Gonzaga (.799). 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.

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.

UTAH STATE INKS THREE DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Utah State men's basketball coach Stew Morrill announced Nov. 17 three players who have signed National Letters of Intent to compete for the Aggies beginning in the fall of 2010. Among the group are one junior college transfer in Brockeith Pane, and two high school standouts in Ben Clifford and James Walker. Pane, a 6-2, 195-pound guard, is currently a sophomore at Midland Junior College in Midland, Texas. Midland JC is 5-0 thus far this year and ranked No. 2 in the country by The Sporting News. Through five games, Pane is averaging 8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists, while shooting 50.0 percent from both the field and three-point range. Pane spent his freshman season (2007-08) at the University of Houston as he averaged 6.3 points and 2.0 rebounds, while shooting 39.9 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from three-point range and 72.9 percent from the free throw line. He scored in double-figures in seven straight games to start the season for the Cougars, including a season-high 26 points vs. Grambling State. Following his performance against GSU, he was named the Conference USA Player of the Week as he averaged 23.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals during a two-game stretch. Clifford, a 6-8, 215-pound forward, is currently a senior at Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah. During his junior season, he earned first-team all-state honors from the Salt Lake Tribune and second-team all-state honors from the Deseret News as he averaged 13.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 60.1 percent from the field and 70.0 percent from the free throw line. During his junior season, he helped the Miners to a 17-7 record as they advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament. Walker, a 6-2, 180-pound guard, is currently a senior at Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, Calif., and was named a preseason third-team all-state selection this fall. During his junior campaign, Walker averaged 14.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game and was named the Sunset League Player of the Year, along with earning first-team all-CIF honors. During the season, he shot 46.2 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from three-point range and 72.7 percent from the free throw line, and scored in double-figures 22 times including a season-high 27 points against Ocean View High School.

UTAH STATE PLAYER NOTES
#5 Pooh Williams - Played nine minutes off the bench against Northeastern in his first action of the season following foot surgery... Did not have any stats... Started 31 games and played in all 35 during his sophomore season and averaged 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... Scored in double-figures seven times during the season, including a career-high 17 points against San Jose State... Has eight career double-figure scoring games.

#12 Brian Green - Has started all three games this year and is averaging 5.7 points and 1.3 rebounds, while shooting 25.0 percent from the field, 12.5 percent from three-point range and is a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line... Playing 28.0 minutes per game... Scored a season-high 10 points at Weber State.

#13 Preston Medlin - Has played in all three games this year and is averaging 1.0 assist per game in 11.0 minutes per contest... Is 0-of-4 from the field.

#15 Modou Niang - Has played in two games this year and has recorded one rebound in seven minutes of action.

#21 Jared Quayle - Scored a career-high 27 points at Utah and tied his career-high with 11 rebounds against the Utes to notch his fourth-ever double-double... Also had 10 rebounds against Northeastern for his fifth-career double-figure rebounding game... Has scored in double-figures twice this year and in 26 of his last 31 games dating back to last year... Has six career 20-point games... Is averaging 14.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, while shooting 44.1 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from three-point range and 87.5 percent from the free throw line... Currently ranks fourth in the WAC in both three-point shooting and rebounding, and is 10th in assists... Has started 36 straight games for USU.

#22 Brady Jardine - Has played in all three games this year and is averaging 1.7 points and 2.7 rebounds, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from the free throw line... Had season-highs with three points and five rebounds at Weber State.

#23 Tyrone White - Has played in all three games this year and is averaging 6.3 minutes per contest... Scored one point against Utah and has notched two rebounds.

#24 Tyler Newbold - Averaging 9.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting 40.9 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three-point range and is a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line... Scored a season-high 15 points at Weber State and had 10 at Northeastern... Has scored in double-figures 22 times in his career, including two 20-point games... Has started 63 straight games for USU which is the longest active streak on the team.

#25 Jaxon Myaer - Scored a season-high nine points at Northeastern has he tied his career-high with three made three-pointers... Averaging 5.3 points and is shooting 55.6 percent from the field and is a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the free throw line... Ranks first in the WAC in three-point shooting... Has scored in double-figures twice in his career.

#35 Nate Bendall - Scored a career-high 15 points at Northeastern and posted his first-ever double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Utah... Has scored in double-figures in all three games this year... Averaging 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 75.0 percent from the field and is a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line... Ranks first in the WAC in free throw shooting, third in field goal shooting and ninth in rebounding.

#42 Tai Wesley - Averaging 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from the free throw line... Scored a season-high 16 points at Northeastern and had a season-high eight rebounds at Utah... Has scored in double-figures twice this year and 46 times in his career... Has scored 20-plus points five times in his career and has six double-doubles... Has started 43 straight games for Utah State and 62 of its last 63 overall... Ranks eighth in the WAC in blocked shots (1.33).

#44 Matt Formisano - Scored a season-high six points at Weber State... Averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds, while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and is a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line.

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 RETURNS FOUR STARTERS AND SEVEN LETTERWINNERS
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).

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 AGAIN
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 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.

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.

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.

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).

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 268-93 (.742) 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 76.0 percent with an overall record of 253-80. 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 67.8 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 486-231 (.678).