Utah State uses efficient shooting to take care of Washington State in Diamond Head Classic third-place game

Utah State used efficient 3-point shooting to open up a sizable lead late in the first half, and the Aggies’ offense stayed sharp after the break, preserving a double-digit lead against Washington State for all but 30 seconds in the second half.

The Aggies claimed third place in the Diamond Head Classic holiday tournament, cruising past the Cougars 82-73 on Sunday at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

WSU (5-8) cut the deficit to 10 points with 12:17 remaining, but the Aggies (11-2) hit their next 10 field-goal attempts to put the Cougars away.

“Boy, they made every key (shot),” WSU coach Kyle Smith said of the Aggies.

Utah State compiled a 15-2 run over three minutes to fashion a game-high 23-point advantage with under nine minutes remaining. The Cougs attempted to rally, but their surge began too late.

“Boy, they made every key (shot),” WSU coach Kyle Smith said of the Aggies. “I thought we kept competing to the end, and I’m proud of our guys for that. But there are things to work on for us. We gotta get better.”

The Aggies shot 60.4% from the field and 64.7% (11-for-17) from 3-point range – the highest shooting percentages WSU has allowed this season. Utah State shot 7 of 11 on 3s in the first half and started to separate from the Cougs in the final five minutes of the period. The Aggies entered the game ranked first in the nation in 3-point percentage (49%) and eighth in assists per game (18.8). They doled out 21 assists with 13 turnovers versus WSU.

“Utah State is a really good offensive team,” Smith said. “It’s hard to beat anyone that goes 11-for-17 from 3.

“And they’re just good on their 2-point shooting, their executing, their passing,” he added. “They’re really unselfish and a highly skilled team.”

WSU shot 44.4% from the field and went 23-for-26 at the foul line, but hit 2 of 17 attempts from downtown. The Cougs struggled from 3-point land throughout the tournament, shooting 12 of 56 beyond the arc across three games. They posted season lows in points and field-goal percentage (30.5%) in a 62-51 loss to Hawaii on Friday.

Cougar post Mouhamed Gueye tallied a season-high 22 points and snagged 12 rebounds to record his fifth double-double of the season. Guard TJ Bamba contributed 19 points on 4 of 12 from the field and 10 of 12 from the free-throw line.

“It would have been easy for them to hang their heads. They didn’t,” Smith said of his team’s leaders. “They kept trying to do things right, and in the end, that’s going to help us and help our guys.”

Guard Justin Powell, who was held scoreless against Hawaii, added 10 points.

Guard Steven Ashworth, center Trevin Dorius and forward Taylor Funk scored 12 points apiece for the Aggies, who put six players in double figures. Utah State played the final 14 minutes without starting guard Max Shulga, who was ejected after arguing with a referee. The Cougs were without Jabe Mullins for the last 12 minutes of the night. The junior guard was tagged with a flagrant foul and tossed after he made contact to the head/neck area of a Utah State ballhandler.

The Cougs won once – clipping George Washington on a late 3 on Thursday – and lost two games during their stay in Hawaii. They had a chance to close their nonconference schedule with a significant win against one of the nation’s better mid-major teams in Utah State, which entered the game at No. 44 on statistician Ken Pomeroy’s national rankings.

WSU went 5-6 against nonconference teams this year – with losses to Pac-12 foes Oregon and Utah sandwiched in the middle of their preseason slate – and will return to conference action at 8 p.m. Friday at home against No. 13 UCLA.

“They’re gonna keep grinding, get better, get back home and hopefully we can build some confidence,” Smith said.