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Reno • Not many teams in the Western Athletic Conference possess the extra gear of Utah State.

And that ability to run past an opponent was on full display Saturday afternoon.

USU, before 4,339 fans at Lawlor Arena, defeated Nevada 81-67. It was the way the Aggies took control that was impressive.

Utah State twice found itself down 10 points in the second half, as the talented but inexperienced Wolf Pack played one of their best games of the season. Instead of panicking, however, the Aggies stuck to their system, took good shots and buckled down on defense.

"I thought our experience helped us tonight," USU coach Stew Morrill said. "We never took bad shots, we just kept playing. I was very pleased with our effort in the second half. We fought, and it paid off for us."

Utah State, usually a grind-it-out offensive team, took five minutes to erase the deficit with a 20-4 run, precipitating a 24-point turnaround. While Morrill usually loves to slow things down, the Aggies scored 17 points in transition, forcing turnovers and making Nevada pay with layups on the other end.

"I thought we settled for shots, and you can't do that against Utah State," Wolf Pack coach David Carter said. "We were trying to go for the home run, and we settled for jumpers. Utah State is so experienced. They never went away from their sets."

The Aggies, with the win, are 14-2 on the season, and 3-0 in Western Athletic Conference play with two important road games coming up against Boise State and Fresno State. On Saturday, Tai Wesley led USU with 21 points and eight rebounds. Brockeith Pane had 17 points and consistently broke down Nevada's defense off the dribble. Brady Jardine came off the bench, scored 14 points and was dominant at times with his athleticism.

Each contributed to important developments. Wesley's ability in the lane caused Dario Hunt, one of the best big men in the WAC, to foul out in 10 minutes. And while Olek Czyz scored a game-high 25 points, he had four fouls by the end the game.

Up 74-67 with two minutes remaining, Pane hit a huge 3-pointer from the corner to give Utah State an insurmountable 77-67 advantage. And Jardine scored 13 of his 14 points in the second half, rebounding from a first half that saw him getting dunked on by Czyz.

"We knew this was going to be a battle," Wesley said. "We stayed together and played much better in the second half. Nevada's a lot better than their record, so you have to give them credit. But we played really well when we needed to."

tjones@sltrib.comTwitter: @tonyaggieville —

Highlights

R Utah State scores 50 points in the second half.

• The Aggies score a season-high 81 points.

• USU moves to 14-2 on the season.