Utah State Aggies Looking For Road Win In Las Vegas

Feb 27, 2023, 11:47 AM | Updated: 11:51 am

KSL Sports

LOGAN, Utah – Two games remain in the regular season as the Utah State basketball team looks to solidify their position ahead of the Mountain West conference tournament next week.

In their final road game of the season, Utah State (22-7, 11-5) heads to Las Vegas to take on the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (17-11, 6-10) at the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday, March 1.

🏀 Highlights from @USUBasketball’s 65-55 win over Wyoming#AtThePeak | #MWMBB | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/MEOKM2v2ME

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) February 22, 2023

This is a rematch of a 75-71 Utah State win over the Rebels in Logan on January 23. USU found a way to overcome 12 second-half turnovers to grab the win. Taylor Funk led the Aggies with 20 points. Steven Ashworth scored 14 and Trevin Dorius rounded out the Aggie double-digit scorers with 10. Keyshawn Hall led UNLV with 19 points. Jordan McCabe added 17 while Keshon Gilbert scored 14 in the loss.

The Aggies played just one game last week, outlasting the Wyoming Cowboys for a 65-55 win. Steven Ashworth’s 19 points led the Aggies. Max Shulga and Dan Akin added 11 apiece on a combined 8-of-13 from the field.

Utah State Aggies

One of the country’s best shooters, Steven Ashworth leads the Aggies and is seventh in the league, averaging 15.9 points per game. The sharpshooting junior guard leads the Mountain West, making 3.2 shots from deep per game while hitting at 44.7 percent.

Taylor Funk averages 13.2 points per contest. Dan Akin (12 ppg), Max Shulga (11.9 ppg), and Sean Bairstow (10.6 ppg) round out the Aggies scoring in double-digits this season.

Utah State enters the final week of the regular season in fourth place in the Mountain West. The Aggies hold an identical 22-7 record to second-place Boise State and third-place Nevada, but trail both teams by a game in the conference loss column.

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels – 7th in Mountain West

Kevin Kruger leads UNLV in his second season with the program. The Rebels finished 2022 with an 18-14 record. UNLV squeaked past Air Force 54-53 in their last game to snap a three-game losing streak. EJ Harkless was the only player to score in double-figures, finishing with 23 points in the win.

The third-highest scoring team in the league, and just behind Utah State’s 78.4 points per game, the Rebels score 74.5 points per game while allowing 68.8. Their 5.8 points per game scoring margin is sixth in the Mountain West, squarely in the middle of the league.

A fifth-year senior guard, Harkless leads the team and is second in the MW, scoring 18.4 points per game. Sophomore guard Keshon Gilbert pours in 12.1 points per game. Gilbert and Luis Rodriguez each average 1.9 steals per game, second in the conference. Senior center David Muoka blocks 1.5 shots per game, also second in the MW.

UNLV has lost four of its past six games.

Up Next

Utah State will have a week of practice before playing its next game. In their final regular season road game, USU takes on the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (16-11, 5-10) on Wednesday, March 1. Tip-off for this game is scheduled for 9 p.m. (MT).

The Aggies then close out the regular season when they welcome the Boise State Broncos (21-6, 11-3) to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, March 4. Tip-off for this game is scheduled for 7 p.m. (MT).

Every Utah State basketball game can be heard on the KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard on the call.

Coverage of Utah State University Athletics from KSL Sports can be found here.