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Show Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Page 8 WednesdayS Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com or Aggie IMense stifles Bulldogs By TYLER HUSKINSON staff writer The Utah State Aggies claimed a share of their third straight Western Athletic Conference regular season title Monday night at the Spectrum. Junior forward Tai Wesley scored 21 points to lead the Aggies to their 13th straight victory, as they defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs, 76-39. The Aggies' solid defense held the Bulldogs scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the game, and the Bulldogs never recovered. The Aggies, however, are not celebrating quite yet. According to the team, there is still business to take care of Saturday against the New Mexico State Aggies. "Statistically it was a strange start to the game," Aggie head coach Stew Morrill said. " They had a hard time scoring. I thought we were certainly a part of that. We came out and guarded pretty well and started the game awfully well. It just was a tough night for them. A lot of things went our way and a lot of things didn't go their way." The Aggies started the game on a 22-0 run. Sophomore guard Mike Ladd hit a jumper to score the Bulldogs' first points of the game at the 10:09 mark of the first half. The Bulldogs only managed 14 points in the first half. Fresno State head coach Steve Cleveland told the Fresno Bee this is as poorly as he's seen a team shoot in his 30-plus years of coaching. The second half was much more productive for the Bulldogs. However, the Aggies held the Bulldogs to 22 percent shooting from the field and 10 percent from the 3-point arc. "It's one of those things that happens sometimes," Morrill said. "I was pleased with our guys. We were ready to play. For the most part we handled everything they threw our way." The Aggies definitely came ready to play, hitting 55 percent of their shots from the field and 50 percent of their shots from the 3-point line. Along with Wesley, three other Aggies hit double-figures in scoring. Junior guards Tyler Newbold and Brian Green finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while junior forward Nate Bendall chipped in 10 points. The Aggies thrived on unselfish play, dishing out 25 assists as a team, one of the many indicators of how the Aggies have changed since WAC play started. "They're mature. They listen to what you tell them," Morrill said. "There is a lot of experience on our basketball team right now. It helps when you're winning games, but this is a high character group that listens no matter what." Even more impressive is that the Aggies said they won't dwell on their shared WAC Regular Season Title. "We haven't won anything yet," Wesley said. Saturday night, USU will face the Aggies of New Mexico State. New Mexico State is in second place in the WAC and faces the Nevada Wolf Pack in Reno on Thursday. If New Mexico State loses on Thursday, the Aggies will have an out-right claim to the WAC title. Earlier this season, NMSU defeated Utah State in New Mexico, 55-52. Morrill said New Mexico State will be a difficult opponent. "Guarding the 3-point line is a huge challenge," Morrill said. "They're very talented at every position. They're gonna pressure us the length of the court and cause some problems." Quayle will be playing his last game as an Aggie at the Spectrum on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.. — ty.d.hus@aggiemaiLusu.edu Ag's No. I tennis player opens up ... sort of By KAYLA CLARK staff writer Jakob Asplund looks pretty mainstream-clad in a large snow coat, slumping in a chair outside of the Hub. His expression is unreadable, perhaps bored. Jakob, while he may look bored, is not looking for anything to occupy his time. Down time is rare for the Utah State No. 1 singles and doubles player. His days filled with tennis, 3,000level classes and more tennis. The team gets done with practice around 6 or 7 every night, and the rest of his day is devoted to homework, perhaps watching TV, and sleep. Jakob made the 5,500 mile leap from Stokholm, Sweden, to Logan before the 2007-'08 school year. When asked if he misses his family back home, he replies: "Not really. I get to go home for summer and for winter break. That's only four months in between each visit, and it goes by really fast, especially spring semester." Asplund said his family is the reason he began to play tennis. At age 7, he crushed his finger in an accident. To regain full use of his hand, his mother put him into a tennis class to work out his grip, and the sport stuck. Of his move across continents, Asplund said, "At first it seemed — not scary — but weird." He attributes it to the Mormon culture, as well as being in a small town. Stockholm's population is near 1 million, in comparison to the 46,000 of Logan. Stockholm is thriving, busy and the financial capitol of Sweden — a stark contrast to agriculture-oriented Logan. Asplund made the move with two friends, Oscar Ericsson and Jonas Tyden, whom he played club tennis with back in Stockholm. Moving with the two friends, although one is now graduated and the other moved back to Sweden, helped to make the transition easier for him. The cold weather in Logan makes the move up here, for some, difficult. Sub-zero temperatures, constant snow and ice proves hard for some students, but not Jakob. "The cold does not bother me at all, and the climate is pretty much the same in Stockholm," he said. Stockholm has been experiencing record low temperatures this winter, so he says he is glad to be in Logan, where the weather is mild to him. "The dating culture is very different here," Jakob said. "In Sweden people date for seven or eight years before getting married, usually in their late 20s or 30s ... I can't see myself getting married to someone here." While the girls and dating culture may not be his ideal, Asplund said he loves American music, movies and food, commenting that he likes to indulge in hamburgers, pizza and Olive Garden. Jakob played club tennis in Sweden, and when it came time for I See DEUCE, page 9 JUNIOR JAKOB ASPLUND (front) and doubles partner junior Bryan Marchant play against the Wildcats of Weber State earlier this season CODY GOCHNOUR file photo EDINBURGH & HIGHLANDER EDINBURGH Best of the Best • Single Student Apartments • Living Room • Private Bedroom and Bathroom • No Parking Hassles • Desk, Bed & Bookcase in each Bedroom • Air Conditioning • Fully Furnished • High Speed Wireless Internet • Laundry in each Apartment • Modern Kitchen Facilities Service in each Bedroom NORTH 700 A HIGHLANDER • TV, VCR, DVD • Cable TV with Jacks in each Bedroom Accepting Applications for Summer and Next School Year For more information call Dennis • 435) 770-2326 (435) 7558525 • delmax@digis.net 720 NORTH 700 EAST |