Six Utah State players scored in double figures as the Aggies defeated Washington State 82-73 in the third-place game of the Diamond Head Classic on Sunday in Honolulu.
Steven Ashworth shot 4 of 6 from the field, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range, to finish with 12 points to go along with a game-high five assists, while Taylor Funk also scored 12 points, including hitting 2 of 5 attempts from 3-point range, and added three rebounds and three assists.
Trevin Dorius chipped in 12 points and four rebounds, with Max Shulga had 11 points that included making 2 of 3 shots from beyond the arc to go along with four rebounds and three assists.
Sean Bairstow finished with 11 points, which included him going 2 of 3 from deep, in addition to a team-high five rebounds. Dan Akin scored 10 points by going a perfect 5 of 5 from the field.
The Aggies (11-2) have won two of their past three games after opening the season on a nine-game winning streak.
Utah State, which led by as many as 23 points in the second half, shot 32 of 53 (60.4 percent) from the field, including a red-hot 11 of 17 (64.7 percent) from 3-point range.
Washington State (5-8), which has lost four of its past five games, was led by Mouhamed Gueye, who had a season-high 22 points to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds. TJ Bamba added 19 points, four assists and three rebounds. Justin Powell added 10 points and two assists.
The Cougars shot 24 of 54 (44.4 percent) from the field, including an abysmal 2 of 17 (11.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
After the Cougars trimmed a 13-point halftime deficit to 61-51 on Gueye’s two free throws with 12:17 remaining, the Aggies put the game away by going on a 15-2 run to take a 76-53 advantage following Ashworth’s 3-pointer with 8:48 to go.
Leading 21-18 with 7:22 left in the first half, Utah State took control of the game for good by closing on a 21-11 run to take a 42-29 edge at halftime.
–Field Level Media