Utah State knows the way to (beat) San Jose

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Utah State had every right to be worried about San Jose State entering the first round of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Thursday.

The Spartans beat the Aggies the last time they met in San Jose, and they also played the Aggies tough in Logan.

It didn't help that the Aggies had a bull's-eye on their backs as the No. 1 seed in the tournament, either. About five minutes into Thursday's quarterfinal game, those concerns had diminished considerably.

The Aggies (24-9), trailing by one, hit eight straight shots to turn the narrow deficit into a large lead in the opening minutes, and they rode it to an easy 85-65 victory, advancing to the semifinals in their conference tournament for the ninth straight season.

"We've had a tough time with San Jose," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said. "It was nice to have a little breathing room and get a nice win."

Utah State now faces Boise State (23-8) tonight at 6 in the WAC semifinals. The Aggies won both games against the Broncos this year, including a 19-point win at Boise on March 6.

"I think we've got to amp up a little bit and have a little more umph (against Boise State)," Morrill said.

Utah State's Tyler Newbold opened the string of eight straight baskets with a 3-pointer. After Tai Wesley hit a bucket, Newbold drilled another 3. Then Jaycee Carroll, who led the Aggies with 24 points, added two straight 3-pointers and Pooh Williams added another 3-ball and the Aggies led 22-9 and never looked back.

San Jose State had a similar start when it beat the Aggies, 70-67, on Feb. 18, and Utah State was never able to recover. This time the Aggies buried the Spartans early.

"We got ourselves in a big hole, and they are difficult to play against trying to come from behind," San Jose State coach George Nessman said.

San Jose State center C.J. Webster, who had 16 points in the loss, agreed.

"We came out today and played hard, but they came out and got up on us quickly and it was difficult to climb back in," he said.

Carroll connected on 10-of-14 shots from the field — including 4-of-6 from the 3-point line — while Newbold had 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 5-of-6 from behind the arc.