Classic case of Turf over Surf
Maybe it was the chilly temps outside or maybe it was because Hawaii is, and almost always has been, a dreadful team away from the Islands. But the Warriors were simply dismantled Monday night be a hungry Utah State team.
The final score, 98-54, was pretty eye-catching. But, if possible, it wasn’t even that close. Stew Morrill was asked after the game if the dominating performance was a result of trying to send the Western Athletic Conference a loud message that the two-time defending champs are more than capable of making a run at three straight.
The message, had Morrill wanted to send it, would have been much louder. The Aggies could have won by 60 if they wanted to. Hawaii threw in the towel shortly after the opening tip and the Aggies sat their starters for the final 15 minutes of the game. Nobody played more than 25 minutes and Morrill said he had no interest in running up the score or trying to score 100 points for no reason other than to satisfy some rowdy students.
Let’s take a look at the win:
The 44-point margin of victory was the biggest since an 87-42 win over Loyola-Marymount in 2004.
It was the biggest margin of victory in a WAC game ever for USU, besting an 80-42 win at Idaho in 2006.
It was also the largest margin of victory over a conference opponent in school history, bettering a 50-11 win over Montana State during the 1918-19 season.
The Aggies shot 73.1 percent in the first half and have now quietly improved their season-long shooting percentage to 47.8. That’s much more like the stuff we’ve seen from USU in recent seasons.
More impressive? The defense. After limiting Hawaii — granted, Hawaii limited themselves with that pathetic effort — to 32.8 percent shooting, the Ags now has a defensive field goal percentage of just 40.7.
Think USU’s 11-of-16 3-pointing shooting was impressive? Well, you’re not alone. It also bumped the Aggies’ season 3-point average to 39.9. That means USU is shooting almost as well from beyond the line as their opponents are shooting overall.
The Aggies also outrebounded their opponent for the 15th time this year. USU has a plus 5.9 edge in rebounding this season.
The blowout in the Spectrum was so complete, Hawaii’s star player, Roderick Flemings took himself out of the game in a pout. He’s always been a ‘get-mine’ kind of player in lopsided losses as he pads his stats. But Monday night, he made only three of 14 shots. After missing a shot on one end, he complained to his coach, then refused to play defense on the other end of the floor and cursed at the officials in order to get a technical and took a seat on the bench with more than 13 minutes to play and only eight points.
He, like the rest of the Warriors team, gave up.