After a long hard fought battle Monday night, the Aggies men’s basketball team was not able to come away with a victory over their opponent Utah Valley.

This devastating loss puts the team’s record at 1-1. “It was a war out there,” said senior guard Jean Louisme about the tough match.

In the first half the Aggies got off to a slow start by not being able to knock down their shots as they trailed by four points four minutes into the first half. According to junior guard Jeremy Underwood the team’s main focus was to play solid defense and execute their plays. “We didn’t do too good on offense, we weren’t hitting shots, and we didn’t play with confidence to sum it all up,” said Underwood.

Although the Aggies were not able to knock down the many shots they took, their defense still stayed solid. It was evident the team was speaking aloud and communicating well on the court. “We made sure we had our guy and contested a lot of shots,” said Louisme.

Even though the Aggies were struggling offensively, they still managed to keep the points they trailed by in the first half at a manageable comeback position.

Momentum began to accelerate in the last 30 seconds of the first half when a turnover was forced by junior guard Lamont Middleton, which he tried to lay up and missed. The miss was then rebounded by Underwood who passed the ball to senior forward Lawerence Smith for a three point shot that was missed.  Middleton rebounded the ball and finally was able to put the ball in the hoop ending the first half with a score of 30-25 Utah Valley.

The Aggies came out strong in the second half with senior forward DaMetrius Upchurch being the very first to put points up on the board with a lay-up. Soon after, Middleton tied the game 32-32 with a three point shot. Later after that play, Louisme was able to put the Aggies in the lead with a two point shot which brought the score to 36-34.

Despite the comeback, the Aggies were not able to maintain their lead. “We allowed them to have three shots at the basket which fielded a 7-0 run,” said head coach Cy Alexander.

From that run on the Aggies were not able to catch back up with their opponent. “We were fighting uphill the rest of the way because of the way they run their offense,” said Alexander. The second half ended with the final score being 64-55.

According to Alexander, the improvements the team needs to make include making better shot selections, improving their ability to rebound, and playing smarter in the clutch.

Next, the Aggies will face a five-game road trip starting Friday. “Hopefully Friday we get this win, hit our shots, and rebound. That’s the most important thing, we need to rebound,” said Underwood. The Aggies next home stand will be Saturday, Dec. 1 against N.C. Central at 4 p.m.

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• uniqua quillins Contributor