LAS VEGAS — Utah State is still looking for its first road win in the Mountain West Conference. In its latest attempt, USU fell 62-42 at UNLV on Wednesday night. The Aggies' 42 points were a season low.
USU kept it close for most of the first half, but did not score in the final three minutes of the opening period. The Rebels took advantage of the USU drought and went into the locker room on a 10-0 run to take a 34-24 lead at the break.
The cold streak continued into the second half as the Aggies (12-6, 2-4 Mountain West) were unable to solve UNLV's defense. USU scored just 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half against the Rebels (11-7, 3-3).
Jarred Shaw led the way for the Aggies with 14 points and eight rebounds. USU was in the top 20 in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage coming into the game but struggled Wednesday, finishing just 2 of 17 from deep. Guards Spencer Butterfield and Preston Medlin, normally consistent scorers for the Aggies, both struggled. Butterfield finished with seven points, while Medlin had just three, his lowest scoring total since December 2011.
Starting forward Kyle Davis missed the game with an injury and was replaced by Jalen Moore. TeNale Roland also got the starting nod at point guard over Marcel Davis.
The Aggies return home Saturday night for a game against No. 7 San Diego State. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. in the Spectrum and is being promoted as a "whiteout" game by the athletics department.
Kraig Williams is a 2010 Utah State University graduate and regular Deseret News sports blogger. He can be followed on Twitter @DesNewsKraig.