Utah State’s winning streak ends at 11 with 84-76 loss to Colorado State

Utah State guard Rollie Worster, right, steals the ball from Colorado State guard Isaiah Stevens (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Logan, Utah. (Eli Lucero/The Herald Journal via AP, Pool)

LOGAN, Utah – All good things must come to an end. Such was the case for Utah State’s winning streak on Thursday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

Isaiah Stevens had 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while three other Colorado State players scored in double figures, as the Rams beat the Aggies 84-76 to snap Utah State’s 11-game winning streak.

“It was a tough night for the Aggies,” said USU head coach Craig Smith. “Colorado State played a great game in every way, shape and form. They defended us well, and they made it difficult for us on the offensive end. We just couldn’t guard them. You’re not going to win a lot of games if you give up 50 percent from the field. They shot 29 free throws, and a decent amount of those were in the last two minutes of the game, but they shredded us apart on that end of the floor. Credit to them. It’s a great win for them.”

Junior guard Brock Miller led the Aggies (12-4, 9-1 Mountain West) with 14 points, while junior center Neemias Queta had 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in the setback.

Senior forward Alphonso Anderson added 10 points off the bench and his 3-pointer with 7:39 to go in the game gave Utah State its last final lead of the night, 56-53.

“They out-competed us tonight,” Anderson said. “We didn’t bring it. I have to be better personally with free throws down the stretch. I work on that every day, and I need to knock them down. We’ve just got to be better. We’ll be back at it at practice, and look forward to the next one.”

Kendle Moore, who finished with 16 on the night, gave the Rams (11-3, 8-2 MW) the lead for good less than a minute later when he calmly sank a pair of free throws. Those freebies were part of a game-changing 10-0 run by the visitors.

Freshman guard Rollie Worster chipped in 12 points, five assists and four rebounds for the Aggies, while fellow freshman guard Steven Ashworth had 10 points and five assists, as well.

Queta gave Utah State its largest lead of the game at 19-9 on a pair of free throws with 14:13 remaining in the first half, but CSU wasted little time in getting back into the game by going on an 18-2 run to grab a 27-21 lead.

“I’m so proud of our team,” said Colorado State head coach Niko Medved. “We challenged them pretty good after the last game and I think we all realized we didn’t bring the level of intensity that it takes to win a game like this. What a great response from our guys. I just thought we played our tail off and it just felt different from the beginning.”

Stevens made a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left in the half to give the Rams a 37-35 lead at the break.

The Aggies shot 42.2 percent from the field (27-of-64), including just 25.8 percent from 3-point range (8-of-31), and 63.6 percent from the free throw line (14-of-22).

On the other side of the court, CSU shot 50.0 percent on the night (25-of-50), including a respectable 45.0 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-20), and 86.2 percent from the charity stripe (25-of-29).

Utah State hits the road next week when the Aggies travel to the Silver State to take on UNLV on Monday and Wednesday, Jan. 25 and 27, respectively, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. Monday’s contest will tip at 7 p.m. (MT) and air on the CBS Sports Network, while Wednesday’s game begins at 9 p.m. (MT), airing on Fox Sports 1.

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