Morrill lets Ags celebrate after team clinches WAC

LOGAN — Stew Morrill is typically not one to get caught up in parties, celebrations and definitely not in mosh-pit-type environments.

After Utah State's 82-62 win over Hawaii on Thursday night at the Smith Spectrum, though, Morrill couldn't stop himself from breaking out as big a smile as he's been seen with in a while and had no intention of stopping his team from getting rowdy on the floor.

"They put themselves in a place to celebrate," Morrill said after the Aggies captured an outright Western Athletic Conference title, "and I want them celebrating."

And celebrate Utah State did.

The dominating win over the Warriors was followed by a lengthy frenzy on the floor with championship T-shirts, nets being cut down and students hoisting players onto their shoulders.

"It feels good," Utah State's lone senior, Gary Wilkinson, said. "But we're not through yet."

The Aggies, now 26-3 overall and 13-1 in WAC play, still have to games to play. But if Thursday night's dismantling of Hawaii was any indication, they've snapped out of the little funk they had been in while dropping road games to Boise State and Saint Mary's in the last two weeks.

Against the Warriors, there was no denying USU came into the game with its eye set on righting the ship and claiming what they've been seeking all season long.

Wilkinson, who was serenaded with chants of "M-V-P" during the last few minutes of the game, scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the way for the Aggies. He was joined by Tai Wesley, who chipped in 16 points and eight boards.

USU took advantage of a 10-0 run midway through the first half to create some separation on the scoreboard and then put the contest out of reach with a 13-0 run in the second half.

"We always let teams back in," Wilkinson said. "So it was nice to put them away."

The WAC title is Utah State's second in a row — but its first outright. In fact, it's the Aggies' first outright conference title of any sort since they went 16-0 in the Big West during the 1999-2000 season.

"It's been a while," Morrill said. "We've had a lot of tied-for-firsts, but it's the first outright in a while. It's pretty special."

And it came in a way the Aggies had done plenty of early in the season, but had gone through a stretch of games without lately.

USU shot 55.4 percent from the floor and dominated the glass with a 36-25 advantage.