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Show 4 Friday, Dec. 9,2005 Take Note: The women's basketball team will host UVSC Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Spectrum. 797-1761 sports@statesman.usu.edu USU ready to face Weber State 1H BY BRYAN HINTON Assistant Sports Editor Coming off its biggest win this season against a Division-I opponent, the Utah State men's basketball team will travel to Ogden to take on the Weber State Wildcats Saturday. After starting the sea- Ags tryto forget Vegas son 3-0, WSU has lost four games in a row to Utah, Southern Utah, Boise State and Utah Valley State. USU Head Coach Stew Morrill said that doesn't mean anything as far as the Aggies are concerned. mm "I've been to Ogden enough times to know that you don't play average and win," he said. "They play hard and well. They have outstanding athletes." Despite the Wildcats' recent losing streak and the Aggies three-game win streak against the WSU, Morrill said in-state games are never pre- See page 5 Another home game, another blown lead late and for the second straight home game the Utah State women's basketball team lost. This time 60-56 to an Air Force team missing its starting point guard. The Aggies melted down for the fourth time this season including their two exhibition games. Up 11 points with 12 minutes left the Aggies only managed to score ten points the rest of the game as the Falcons went on a 25-10 run to close out their sixth win of the season. "At 52-50 we were up and it almost Game Over to BYU — both teams being unranked — the Aggies hope to forget about last weekend's tournament in America's playland and get back to playing good hockey. USU will face the Weber State Division-II squad Friday , in Ogden and Saturday in < Logan. • "They saw a bad USU last weekend," Aggie Aaron Shimmel said. "Our heads weren't in the right place. They're going to see a new and better USU this weekend." Assistant coach Ned Hillyard said the team talked through a lot of issues this week and is ready to play. See page 6 • W E B E R STATE BY KEVIN NIELSEN Senior Writer What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. That's what the Utah State hockey team is hoping for, anyway. After losing two games to UNLV and another BACK ON TRACK man, zone and a combination of the two. It causes confusion." The Aggies found a new weapon of their own in last Monday's game at home against Middle Tennessee State in Durrall Peterson. Aggies fall to AFA BY BRYAN HINTON Assistant Sports Editor • dictable. "You never know where a team is at mentally," he said. "These in-state games are always hard. The advantage is always to the home team." Morrill said it's the Wildcats defense that makes them dangerous. "They rrlix defenses real well," he said. "They play UTAH STATE 5 6 AIR FORCE 6 0 was like we were down by eight," Aggie center Jessica Freeman said. "That's what it felt like and it shouldn't." By then the team was almost completely deflated yet they still managed to miss three of four free throws, two of which were front ends of one-and-ones. The Aggies turned the ball over 16 times in the second half and sent the Falcons to the line 18 times. Air Force also grabbed 16 offensive rebounds in the game, a couple in the final minutes which helped the Falcons run down the clock. "We have to handle things that are in (altie Grow photo/cailieanngxcusu.edu • UTAH STATE'S CAMILLE BROX drives to the hoop through two Air Force defenders during Thursday's game at the Spectrum. The Aggies blew an 11 point lead with 12 minutes to play to lose 60-56 to the Cadets. COLLAPSE See page 5 Get squashed this winter BY STEVE SHINNEY Features Editor For anyone looking to stay in shape over the dreary winter months, there are plenty of sports that don't require running outside. These options include indoor favorites such as basketball and racquetball> but also lesser-known choices like squash. Here's How That's right, squash is more than a vegetable or what the Hulk does to his enemies. It's also a racquet sport and its players make up for what they lack in numbers with dedication. Charles Romesburg, a professor on campus in the environment and society department, has been playing squash for 25 years. "I used to play racquetball and before that I played handball," Romesburg said. "I like squash because you can control the ball better, letting you set your oppo- (allieGroverPhoto/(alIieonn@c<.uui.edu A SQUASH RAQUET and ball. Callie6roverPhoto/(o!lieann@a.usu.edu RAND HOOPER PREPARES TO serve the ball. „ , . CdllieGroverphotoAaiaeanmcusu.edu c UTAH >TATE ENVIRONMENT and society professor Charles Rumsburg prepares to hit the ball to the front wall while playing sguash. He said he enjoys playing squash during his free time. Students can reserve playing time on the squash courts at the Fieldhouse. nent up more. It's more like a chess match." Romesburg said at the age of 67 he may have slowed down a bit, but still enjoys the game. The courts may be similar, but racquetball and squash are different games Like racquetball, the object of the game is to hit the ball against the far wall. The player or team to let the ball hit the floor twice before hitting it back to the wall loses the volley. Also similar to racquetball, points can only be scored by the player who served to start the volley. If the other player wins the rally, they serve to start the next volley. The player serving must be standing in one of two squares on opposite sides of the floor. After serving from one square, the next serve needs to be in the other. In squash the ball is smaller and much less bouncy. This leads to more running and strategy for squash players. A squash court has three red lines along the wall. The highest line is higher on the far wall and get lower as it approaches the back wall. If the ball hits above the line, the rally is over. The other two lines are • SQUASHED See page 4 Down I Line Blaze sign former Ag RB White SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Blaze announce the signing of former Utah State standout Emmett White (6-0, 217, Utah State) to a one-year contract. White, who established an NCAA record for single- i game, all-purpose yardage with 578 yards against New Mexicoj State in 2000, enters his rookie season in the AFL. Terms of i the contract were not disclosed due to team policy. ] "We really like the intensity and energy Emmett brings onevery play," said Blaze head } coach and general manager ] Danny White. "He's a play- ] maker and we are excited to i have him add depth to the . ( receiving corps." \ White, who played at USU ; from 1998-2001, concluded > his career at Utah State as the most prolific all-purpose playeV in school history. During his J senior season, White finished < fifth in the country in allpurpose yards (183.1), 11th in ! rushing (123.7) and 19th in ; scoring (8.73). His 2,791 rush-; ing yards are fifth on the USU' career list. i White was named the | Independent Player of the | Year by Collegefootb all news, com and the Football News Magazine. White was also named the Independent Offensive Player of the Year and a First-Team AllIndependent selection. He was also on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award given to the nation's top running back. Gymnastics ranked in top 30 in country BY UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Athletic Media Relations Utah State's gymnastics team enters the 2006 season ranked in the top 30 of the preseason coaches poll that was released earlier this week. Second in Western Athletic Conference rankings behind Boise State. Utah State finished the regular season last year ranked 16th in the country and 34th at the end of the NCAA competition. The Aggies finished first in the Western Gymnastic Conference. Five of the Aggies' 2006 competitors rank in the top 25, including second-ranked Utah and seventh-ranked LSU. Instate rivals Brigham Young and Southern Utah are ranked 19th and 34th, respectively. All of the Aggies WAC competitors are ranked in the top 50, with Boise State leading the way at 29th. Ball named AU-American BY UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Athletic Media Relations Trever Bah1 became the first Utah State men's runner in history to be named an All-American by the United States Cross Country Coaches Association it was announced this week. The senior from Mountain Crest High School in Hyrum, Utah, capped a great career with the national recognition. By placing among the top 30 United States citizens at the NCAA Championships, a runner can earn All-America honors. Ball, who was 47th overall, placed 29th among Americans at the national meet. 1 |