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By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press Writer
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Nate Harris had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Durrall Peterson hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers late in a physical game Monday night to lead Utah State to a 59-53 win over Nevada.
Cass Matheus grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and the Aggies (13-4, 5-2 Western Athletic Conference) held Nevada to 34 percent shooting from the field on the game to win their fourth straight and ninth of their last 10.
"That was a great win for us," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said.
"We played a real physical, hard-nosed game. It wasn't pretty. But sometimes on the road that is an advantage. We're tripping and falling down and things started happening," he said. "We hit some free throws down the stretch."
Nick Fazekas had 16 points and nine rebounds and Kyle Shiloh added 14 points for the Wolf Pack (13-5, 3-3), who had won 36 of their last 40 at home, including 8-0 this season.
"We are not a good team unless we have four or five guys scoring," said Nevada coach Mark Fox, whose team shot 29 percent from the field the first half.
"We had a difficult time putting the ball in the basket. We missed a lot of shots and that was probably the number one reason we lost," he said.
Fox was impressed with Harris, who has scored in double figures in all 18 games this season. He scored 12 points in the first half and finished the game 8-of-14 from the field, 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.
"He's a really good player. He has a real knack to score. We had a tough time guarding him the first 35 minutes," Fox said.
It was the first time in 33 games over three seasons that the Wolf Pack had lost while holding their opponents to 60 points or less.
Trailing 29-19 at the half, Fazekas scored consecutively off rebounds to pull the Wolf Pack to 29-23 with 18:23 left. But Harris answered with a dunk and a hook, then hit inside twice, converting a 3-point play for a 42-31 lead with 7:37 remaining.
Nevada rallied for 8 straight, including Shiloh's 3-pointer and two baskets by Fazekas to cut it to 42-39 at 4:35. But Peterson quieted the crowd with a 3-pointer from the corner, then made another for a 48-38 lead at 3:17.
Fazekas dunked and Shiloh made a 3-pointer from the top of the key to pull to 49-44 with 1:03 left. But the Aggies made all eight free throw attempts after that -- four by Peterson, who finished with 10 points -- and Jaycee Carroll added a breakaway layup on an inbounds pass to help secure the win.
Harris said he knew Peterson would come through in the clutch.
"Durrall has never lacked for confidence. We knew with the ball in his hands, he'd hit two big shots," said Harris, who logged his third double-double of the season and the eighth of his career.
The Aggies missed their first seven shots from the field and trailed 7-0 before going on a 16-2 run for a 16-9 lead on Chaz Spicer's break away dunk midway through the first half.
Fazekas, who missed his first six shots, scored twice inside to pull Nevada to within 21-17. But Harris followed a pair of 3-pointers by David Pak and Chris Huber with a 3-point play when he was fouled underneath for a 27-17 lead 1:45 before the half and the Aggies led 29-19 at the half.
"It was really physical tonight," Harris said. "The oficials were letting us play. You really had to finish around the basket."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-01-24-06 0047MST
