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San Jose, Calif. • After the first 18 minutes, Spencer Butterfield was outscoring San Jose State 13-11.

The Spartans eventually caught up with Utah State's 6-foot-2 guard, but were left huffing in the Aggies' dust.

Utah State (17-5, 8-4) pounded San Jose State (9-14, 3-9) for a 63-36 win, the team's third straight double-digit road win that keeps them continuing a rise back into the upper tier of the Western Athletic Conference.

But more than just a win in the standings, it was a display of power — a sign that the Aggies aren't just alive and kicking, they're not taking any prisoners. Butterfield was the star on Friday night, piling up 22 points and 10 rebounds while playing in his native California.

"He's undersized in everything but his heart," coach Stew Morrill said. "He battles. He really thinks he can play, and he's right."

Butterfield helped put the flourish on Utah State's 16-0 run in the first half. For more than nine minutes of game time, the Spartans couldn't score a point.

Utah State continued its recent string of sound defensive performances, holding San Jose State to a season-low point total and only 13 makes in 49 shots. The Spartans, the lowest-scoring team in the WAC since conference play, had no answers as the Aggies particularly locked down their bigs.

"I think the major key was our defense," Butterfield said. "We switched it up a lot between zone and man. It was confusing them, then we started to make shots and relax and get in the flow of the game."

By halftime, the Aggies had hit their stride, leading 34-16.

D.J. Brown was the only San Jose State player who scored in double digits, with 16. Chris Cunningham, the Spartans' leading active scorer, was held to eight points.

Jarred Shaw and Marcel Davis each chipped in 12 points for Utah State, Davis working his jump shot and Shaw sealing the result with some second-half buckets.

The Aggies will return to Logan next week to face Denver and New Mexico State, two teams that defeated Utah State in the first half of conference play. —

Utah State 63, San Jose State 36

UTAH ST. (17-5) • Clifford 1-5 0-0 2, Jean 2-4 0-0 6, Shaw 6-13 0-1 12, Davis 5-8 0-0 12, Butterfield 9-11 1-1 22, Lopez 1-2 0-1 2, Roland 3-7 0-0 7, Stone 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-52 1-3 63.

SAN JOSE ST. (9-14) • Cunningham 4-8 2-2 10, Andoh 1-3 2-4 4, D. Brown 5-13 2-2 16, Moor 0-4 0-0 0, Garrett 0-6 0-0 0, X. Jones 2-8 0-1 4, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, VanKirk 0-0 0-0 0, Grieves 0-4 0-0 0, A. Brown 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 13-49 6-9 36. Halftime—Utah St. 34-16. 3-Point Goals—Utah St. 8-17 (Butterfield 3-3, Davis 2-3, Jean 2-3, Roland 1-5, Shaw 0-1, Clifford 0-2), San Jose St. 4-20 (D. Brown 4-9, X. Jones 0-1, Moor 0-3, Garrett 0-3, Grieves 0-4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Utah St. 38 (Butterfield 10), San Jose St. 24 (Cunningham 9). Assists—Utah St. 9 (Davis 3), San Jose St. 7 (Garrett 3). Total Fouls—Utah St. 15, San Jose St. 10. A—1,876. Utah State rolls Spartans on the road

• Spencer Butterfield leads with 22 points and 10 rebounds

• The Aggies hold San Jose State to a season-low 36 points

• Utah State wins the rebounding battle 36-21