USU Squashes New Mexico State, Celebrates WAC Title by Cutting Down Nets

Utah State [University] celebrated its third-straight Western Athletic Conference regular-season championship and "Senior Night" March 6 with an 81-63 squashing of New Mexico State Saturday night at a sold-out Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The home Aggies used a 14-0 run overlapping halftime and held NMSU without a field goal for 7:25 in the second-half as USU won for the 15th game in a row.

 

Before the game, Utah State honored its lone senior, guard Jared Quayle, who tallied 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in his final game at the Spectrum.

 

The navy-clad Aggies' avenged a 55-52 loss at New Mexico State back on Jan. 2 in both teams' WAC-openers. After USU lost at Louisiana Tech two nights later, the northern Aggies haven't lost since, running their win streak to 15, their longest of the season, the fourth-longest in school history and the second-longest current streak in the country behind Butler's 19 in a row. USU has won 19 of its last 21 games after opening the season with a 6-4 record.

 

Additionally, USU has won 14-straight WAC games and 32 of its last 36 WAC contests as well as winning 24-consecutive WAC games at home and 33 of its last 34, finishing home action with an 8-0 league record and 17-1 overall.

 

Utah State ends regular-season play 25-6 overall and with a 14-2 WAC ledger, and will be the top seed at next week's WAC Tournament at Reno, Nev., opening against eighth-seeded Boise State on Thursday, March 1, at 1 p.m. (MT).

 

For WAC Tournament ticket information, contact the USU Ticket Office at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, or by phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305.

 

Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics homepage Web site.