Utah State basketball: Wesley has 19 as Utah State tops Idaho State 77-44

LOGAN — After three straight road games to open the season, Utah State got back exactly what it was missing — a little Spectrum magic and Pooh Williams.

The Aggies overpowered Idaho State almost from the opening tip and were never threatened in a 77-44 win over the Bengals in USU's 2009-10 home-opener.

"I was awfully pleased with our effort tonight and our intensity," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said. "We had good intensity coming off of a couple heartbreaking road losses.

"It could have been a situation where we were a little down in the dumps," Morrill added. "I told them that would be unacceptable."

There was anything but a dour mood, though.

The Aggies were led by Tai Wesley's 19-point, 5-rebound, 4-assist effort, but might have gotten their biggest lift from swingman Pooh Williams.

The junior is coming off foot surgery and saw his first significant playing time of the season with 19 minutes and scored eight points on 3-of-7 shooting.

"It's just good to be back playing at home," said Williams, who saw only nine minutes of action and didn't score in his first game back — Saturday's loss at Northeastern. He said he's still not in top condition, but is trying to work his way back into form.

"It has a lot to do with me getting in shape," Williams said. "I was very winded."

Still, his defensive presence and drive-and-dish ability helped the Aggies look like the Aggies the 9,026 at the Spectrum have grown used to seeing.

Shooting 53.8 percent in the first half, USU opened a huge lead just minutes into the game and had a 21-point lead with nine minutes left in the opening period.

"We're a better team at home," Wesley said. "We need to close the gap between being at home and being on the road."

And while Utah State, which is now 2-2 overall and will host Southern Utah on Saturday, had little trouble beating the Bengals, they don't think one dominating game means the team is fully on the right track.

What the easier-than-expected win did provide, though, was a chance for Morrill to get plenty of players minutes on the floor and rest some starters who have been working hard.

"A lot of guys did a lot of good things," Morrill said. "Defensively, we played solid. Idaho State just got off to a bad start and had a hard time recovering."