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Logan • Utah State played its second game without David Collette on Tuesday night.

According to coach Tim Duryea, it showed during the Aggies' 83-68 win over little Adams State at the Spectrum.

Collette is the reigning Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference. Last week, he abruptly announced plans to transfer, leaving the Aggies with a gaping hole in their expected rotation.

Without Collette, however, Utah State opened the season with a 73-70 victory at Weber State on Friday night. The Aggies followed up with their cruise-control win over Adams State.

Asked if Utah State has moved past Collette's sudden departure, Duryea shook his head and said, "It's still there. We have an offensive identity that we have to change a little bit and we're going to be a little up-and-down, I think, as far as low-post scoring.

"The other night at Weber, it was really good. Tonight, not as much. And we haven't really had time to change some things we've got to change offensively. … We've got to retool some things and we haven't had a chance to do that. So, no, it's not behind us yet."

Senior guard Chris Smith scored 21 points against Adams State. Junior forward Jalen Moore added 17.

Regarding Collette, Moore said, "It's not really a big distraction. But he was a big part of our team, so I think guys are just getting around the fact he's not here any more. … We're getting used to it and guys are stepping up."

Utah State started slowly against Adams State, a Division II school located in Alamosa, Colo. The Grizzlies jumped to a quick 10-7 lead. It was still 14-12 before the Aggies started rolling.

Over the next 3:35, Quinn Taylor scored six points, Moore added five and Shane Rector got to the basket for two layups during an 18-2 run. By halftime, the Aggies built a 47-27 lead after Smith buried a long three-point shot as time expired.

Early in the second half, Utah State struggled to stop Adams State forward Kendyl Grover. He scored 10 points in the first three minutes against defenders Elston Jones, Lew Evans and Taylor.

Grover's dunk with 17:05 remaining made it 52-36, but the Aggies slowly pushed their lead back to 70-44 with 11 1/2 minutes left.

"Tough game to play," Duryea said. "Tough match-up. We knew that going in. They can put four or five guards on the floor. When you are playing a team that does that, it can be a tough for a tradition Division I team. A lot of times, there's nobody for your post guys to guard."

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