Logan » Three weeks ago, when Utah State defeated Nevada in overtime, the Aggies were able to erase a 10-point, second-half deficit in large part because Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson tired noticeably toward the end of the game.

On Saturday night, Babbitt and Johnson, two of the brightest stars in the Western Athletic Conference, again lost their legs. Only this time, it didn't take until the last five minutes of regulation.

In defeating the Wolf Pack 76-65 before a sellout crowd at the Spectrum and a nationally televised ESPNU audience, Utah State used its depth, its ability to rebound and its defense to pull away in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

With the win, the Aggies, (18-6 overall, 8-2 in WAC play), won their eighth consecutive game and continues to steamroll its way toward attempting to win the regular season title.

"We made a few adjustments defensively at halftime," Sophomore forward Brady Jardine said. "We just wanted to buckle down. Babbitt's a stud, and we wanted to double him in the low post and limit his looks at the basket. It was a team effort guarding him. I couldn't guard him by myself."

Utah State used a 15-5 start to the second half to turn a narrow 39-35 halftime advantage into a 54-39 lead. The Aggies, in doing this, dominated the glass to the tune of a season-high 21 offensive rebounds. Many of those were corralled by Jardine and Wesley, who absolutely owned the paint in the final 20 minutes.

Babbitt, a 6-foot-9 sophomore who is projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft, was tough to deal with to be sure. He scored 20, a game-high and grabbed nine rebounds. But, as was the case the first time these two teams met in Reno, he tailed off noticeably by the end of the game.

Johnson, a 6-3 point guard who is also a projected first round draft pick, was at his best in the first half, scoring 14 points, wreaking havoc in the lane and making contested jumpers. But he scored just five of his 19 points in the second half.

"We thought that there was a chance they could tire by the end of the game," Wesley said.

The Aggies received 19 points and nine rebounds from Wesley, 16 points from Pooh Williams, 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench from Jardine and 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists from Jared Quayle.

While Nevada had seven assists and as many turnovers as a team, Utah State had 18 assists and just four turnovers in this one. The Aggies also made 16 of their 18 foul shots and held the Wolf Pack to 35 percent shooting in the second half.

tjones@sltrib.com