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LOGAN, Utah - A 17-0 second half run propelled Utah State and the Aggies pulled away from a pesky Houston Baptist squad, winning 94-77 Tuesday night, completing the second day of action at the Duel in the Desert, sponsored by Gossner Foods hosted by USU at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Utah State's magic number Tuesday night was 60 as it netted 60 points in the second half and with the win the Aggies tie the nation's regular season non-conference home victory streak at 60, sharing it with Duke. Both USU and Duke play at home Wednesday night.
The Aggies won for the sixth straight time overall, improving their ledger to 11-1, while Houston Baptist remains winless at 0-14. Tuesday was the first meeting between USU and HBU.
Utah State improved to 33-1all-time in tournaments it hosts, after posting a 26-0 ledger in the Gossner Foods Holiday Classic (1994-2007) and 5-1 in the Big Blue Classic (1971-72, 1982). The lone loss was at the hands of Wyoming on Dec. 28, 1971 by a 92-85 final score in the championship game of the 1971 Big Blue Classic. The Aggies have a chance to avenge that loss when they tangle with the Cowboys in Wednesday's Duel in the Desert finale.
Four USU players starters notched double-figures, led by senior forward Gary Wilkinson logging his second double-double of the season and ninth of his career with 16 points and a season-high tying 12 rebounds. Sophomore forward Tai Wesley netted 17 points, junior guard Jared Quayle tallied 15 points and sophomore guard Pooh Williams registered a career-high 13 points.
Sophomore guard Tyler Newbold tied a career-high by distributing six assists, while Quayle and Williams dished out five helpers apiece, as USU had 25 assists for the second-straight game.
Houston Baptist was led by Baron Sauls' game-best 18 points, as well as dishing out a game-high eight assists. Andrew Puzyk netted 15 points, all on three-pointers and all in the first half, while Gordon Watt added 13 points to go with a team-leading nine rebounds.
It was a tale of two halves field goal shooting for both teams, as the Huskies hit 64.0 percent (16-of-25) in the first half, including 75.0 percent (9-of-12) from three-point range. The Aggie defense tightened down the hatches in the second half, holding Houston Baptist to 38.2 percent (13-of-34). The Huskies ended the night at 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the floor part of which included 13-of-26 (50.0 percent) three-point shooting, as well as 6-of-8 (75.0 percent) from the free throw stripe.
Meanwhile, the USU offense, which shot 41.9 percent (13-of-31) in the first half, scorched the nets in the second stanza, hitting 71.9 percent (23-of-32), finishing at 57.1 percent (36-of-63) for the game including 8-of-16 (50.0 percent) behind the arc. Utah State was 14-of-22 at the free pitch line.
With 14:17 on the clock, USU took a 12-11 lead on a rare Wilkinson three-pointer, just his first make of the season on three attempts. HBU then got hot from beyond the arc, as Puzyk hit back-to-back treys and a layup from Justin Wilson gave the Huskies a 24-16 lead with 10:37 to go. After Utah State closed to 24-23, Houston Baptist pulled away to lead 42-31 with 30 seconds left on a jumper by Mario Flaherty, USU's largest deficit of the season. Newbold hit a three-pointer from the wing with four ticks on the clock for a 42-34 halftime margin.
A baseline jumper from sophomore forward Matt Formisano gave the Aggies their first lead since 12-11 at 51-50 with 13:37 to go.
After a layup from HBU's Sean Morris gave the Huskies a 54-53 lead, USU freshman guard Deremy Geiger hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc for a 56-54 Aggie advantage and they never trailed again. A bucket by Wilson later drew HBU to 68-65 at the 6:35 mark before USU erupted for its 17-0 run. A dunk by Wesley put the lead at 10 points for the first time with 5:12 to go and Quayle capped the streak with a trey from the right corner with 2:14 to go for an 85-65 lead and the Aggies coasted to the victory.
The final day of the Duel in the Desert slates Houston Baptist against Howard at 5:30 p.m., before Utah State tangles with Wyoming at 8 p.m. Both the Aggies and the Cowboys are 2-0 in the tournament after Wyoming beat Howard, 84-75, in Tuesday's early game.
Tickets for the Duel in the Desert, sponsored by Gossner Foods are available online 24 hours a day at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on "tickets" in left column, or by phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305.
Utah State basketball games are broadcast on KVNU (610 AM) and KLZX (95.9 FM) in Logan, Utah, KFAN (1320 AM) or ESPN Radio (1230 AM) in Salt Lake City and KLZX (105.3 FM) in Montpelier, Idaho, as well as on the internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com. Al Lewis serves as the play-by-play announcer, while Rod Tueller serves as the analyst during home games.
