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Logan • In his 29 years as a head coach, Stew Morrill has seen enough of Air Force to anticipate a grind-it-out battle.
It happened again Saturday afternoon at the Spectrum.
Chris Smith scored 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting, and Jalen Moore scored 11 of his 15 points in the final 7:05, leading Utah State to a hard-earned 71-59 victory over the Falcons.
With a crowd of 9,885 roaring its approval, the Aggies used a late 16-2 run to break open a one-point game and subdue Air Force.
"Just like every game I ever remember against the Air Force Academy," Morrill said. "It's tough. It's a grind. … They are just hard to play. You have to hang in there."
Utah State snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 10-7 overall and 3-2 in the Mountain West Conference by shooting 54 percent, including 13 for 23 from the 3-point line.
"We played good offense," Morrill said. "… We shot a high percentage and we took care of the ball — things that gave us a chance to win."
Utah State dominated most of the first half, thanks partly to a sizzling start.
The Aggies made their first three shots — 3-pointers by Julion Pearre, Chris Smith and Perkins — and built a 28-21 lead.
"It was one of those nights when I was feeling it," Smith said. "Everybody had the touch. Everybody was sharing the ball. Everybody was scoring. So it was good."
Smith provided the game's most spectacular play to give Utah State a 31-21 halftime lead.
After Morrill called timeout with 6.5 seconds left, the Aggies inbounded to Perkins, who looked inside but finally slipped the ball to Smith. As time expired, and with two defenders contesting the shot, he buried a high-arching 3 that gave Utah State a 10-point lead.
"I was trying to get the foul," Smith said. "I just kind of threw it up there to see what would happen."
Air Force didn't quit, of course.
The Falcons made seven of their first eight shots in the second half, including four 3-pointers, to stay in the game.
"Their system is difficult to guard," Morrill said. "I mean, you take one thing away from them and they get something else. And they are very good shooters. If you give a guy a little bit of daylight, he'll make a shot. … That was a good stretch for them."
Utah State responded, however.
Smith buried consecutive 3-pointers to turn a one-point lead into a 47-40 advantage with 12:35 left.
After the Falcons again rallied within one, Moore scored seven straight points, triggering the game-deciding run.
Asked about the Aggies' composure when challenged by Air Force, Morrill laughed and said, "I don't know whether we were composed or gassed. We seemed tired at times. We haven't played in a week, and there were more periods than I can remember in a game where there was no break — no whistle. The start of the game was crazy. Julion Pearre was like, 'I'm dying out here.' "
Twitter: @sluhm —
Storylines
R Chris Smith scores 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting.
• Sophomore Jalen Moore finishes with 15 points for the Aggies, including 11 in the final 7:05.
• Utah State uses a late 16-2 run to break open a one-point game and defeat the Falcons.