Utah State sophomore wing Jalen Moore scored a career-high 22 points and the Aggie defense held Nevada shooters to just 35 percent from the floor as the Aggies posted a 70-54 victory Tuesday night. The win moves USU to 11-7 on the year and 4-2 in the Mountain West, while the Wolf Pack drop to 6-11 overall and 2-3 in league play.
The two teams battled through three deadlocks over the opening 10 minutes, culminating in a 12-12 tie with 10:21 on the clock. The Aggies then created a bit of a cushion with a five-point run to take a 17-12 lead, holding the Wolf Pack scoreless over a five-minute stretch. The advantage grew to double digits, 29-19, going into the break as junior guard Chris Smith hit a running layup with two seconds left in the half.
Nevada came out in the second half with a five-point run of its own, coming to within 29-24 within the first minute of the final stanza. A jumper by Smith ended the run and kickstarted an 11-2 run, capped by one of four 3-point buckets by Moore, to open a 16-point lead, 42-26, with 15:11 to play. The Wolf Pack whittled the margin down to single digits, coming to within five points, 50-45, with 8:45 to play, but back-to-back baskets by junior guard Darius Perkins and Smith put the Aggies back up 10, 55-45. Utah State maintained the double-digit lead down the stretch in posting the 70-54 victory.
Moore led all scorers with a career-high 22 points, marking his 16th consecutive game in double figures and matching the longest streak by a sophomore since USU All-American Jaycee Carroll rattled off 16 straight during his sophomore season. He was followed by Smith and redshirt freshman David Collette with 10 points apiece with Collette also pacing the Aggies on the glass with seven rebounds.
Nevada was led by junior forward AJ West with a career-high 18 points, a game-high nine rebounds and three blocks. As a team, the Wolf Pack only shot 35.0 percent (21-of-60) from the floor, including 11.1 percent (2-of-18) from behind the 3-point line, the second lowest total from long range this season by the USU defense.
Utah State shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the floor, 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from deep and 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the free-throw line in the victory. The Aggies have shot greater than 45 percent from behind the 3-point line in each of their Mountain West games this year.
USU is back in action Saturday at UNLV with the tip scheduled for 6 p.m. MT. Fans can watch the game live on the CBS Sports Network or listen to Al Lewis on the Aggie Sports Network.
Kyle Cottam is the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at Utah State University.