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Ogden • Damian Lillard was not prepared to say — in a public forum, anyway — that Weber State has the best college basketball team in Utah.

Yet, there was a weight behind his words Tuesday that spoke volumes.

"We feel like we can compete against anybody," Lillard said moments after his Wildcats defeated Utah State 73-63 in the Dee Events Center.

"This game means a lot," Lillard continued. "Ever since I've been here, it feels like [in-state schools] look down a lot. Maybe it's not that way. It seems like it."

Weber State (2-0) certainly came out blazing against an Aggie (1-1) team that had just beaten Brigham Young in Logan.

Guard Scott Bamforth couldn't miss in the first half, burning the USU defense from behind the 3-point line.

Bamforth, who finished with a career-high 28 points, buried his first five 3-point attempts. When he finally missed, Lillard took up the slack.

Bamforth and Lillard were a combined 7 of 10 from beyond the arc in the first half as WSU took a 42-27 lead unto the locker room.

"The way they shot the ball in the first half was amazing," USU coach Stew Morrill.

Eventually, Weber State opened an 18-point lead, saw it shaved to six, then regained its composure to close out the victory.

"We've got some nice veteran leadership," WSU coach Randy Rahe said. "No panic."

Weber State missed seven consecutive shots in the final six minutes, yet banged the boards and kept USU out of an offensive flow.

Grim Morgan scored 19 and Brockeith Pane 14 for USU, but the Aggies received almost nothing from their bench.

Defensively, the Wildcats turned 15 Aggie turnovers into 15 points. Quick hands in the zone defense turned into 10 WSU steals.

"Games like this really make a team better," Rahe said. "You're going to have to be tough, you're going to have to be physical."

In the end, Weber State's intensity proved to be the difference. Morrill said as much afterward.

So did Weber State, which played with a large chip on its shoulder.

"Good teams always have that," Bamforth said.

For Lillard, who missed most of last season with a broken foot, the adjustment to a team that learned to win without him is already complete.

"Last year, I thought it was good for us," he said. "Everybody else had a chance to come into their own. When I came back, everything just opened up a little more.

"We knew Utah State was a real test. We wanted to come out and make a point." —

Highlights

R Weber State makes 12 of 23 3-point goals, including 8 of 12 in the first half.

• Scott Bamforth leads the Wildcats with a career-high 28 points.

• Utah State converts only 14 of 23 free-throw attempts.