Box Score
HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i men's basketball team found the going rough on the road with an 82-62 loss to Utah State Thursday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Rainbow Warriors dropped to 13-14 and 5-9 in the Western Athletic Conference.
With the win Utah State (26-3, 13-1) claimed the WAC regular season title, its first outright championship since joining the league in 2005. The Aggies, shared the title with three other squads last year, also extended their school-record home win streak to 33 games.
UH, meanwhile, slipped below San Jose State and into a tie for seventh place in the WAC standings with Louisiana Tech. The 20-point loss matched the largest margin of defeat for Hawai`i this season. UH fell at Idaho, 67-47, in January.
UH shot 49 percent for the game tied a season high with six three pointers. But the 'Bows could do little to contain the Aggies inside. Utah State out-scored UH and astounding, 54-12, in the paint with most of the damage done by the front court tandem of Gary Wilkinson and Tai Wesley. Wilkinson finished with a game-high 27 points and Wesley with 16 to lead four Aggies in double figures.
Utah State shot 55 percent from the floor and out-rebounded UH, 36-25, including 16-7 on the offensive end. The Aggies racked up 25 assists on 36 field goals.
UH hung tough early, but the Aggies scored 10 unanswered points to stake a double-digit lead. The Aggies eventually took a 13-point lead, 41-28, into the locker room, powered by Wilkinson and Wesley who combined for 22 points.
The Aggies put the game away in the second half with a 17-4 run, capped by a Stevon Williams fast break layup, that extended their lead to 25 points, 62-37, with just under 11 minutes remaining.
UH next faces San Jose State in a pivotal conference matchup on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tipoff is 7:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. HT) at Walter McPherson Court.
-UH-
