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San Diego • Because of the Mountain West Conference's unbalanced schedule, Utah State plays San Diego State only once during the regular season.

Good thing.

Senior guard Aqeel Quinn scored 15 points and freshman forward Malik Pope added 13, leading the Aztecs to a lopsided 62-42 victory over the Aggies.

San Diego State won its 27th straight game at home. It improved to 17-5 overall and 7-2 in the Mountain West. Utah State, which had won three of its previous four games, slipped to 12-9 overall and 5-4 in league play.

The Aggies shot only 29.2 percent against the conference's top defensive team. They missed 30 of their first 39 field-goal attempts, committed 14 of their 19 turnovers in the first half and finished 8 for 17 from the free-throw line.

It was a forgettable performance for Utah State, which dropped two games behind conference co-leaders San Diego State and Wyoming as Mountain West teams reached the season's halfway point.

Jalen Moore led the Aggies with 13 points.

"They are great defensively," USU coach Stew Morrill said. "That's a really good defensive basketball team. They make it hard for you to get much."

Thanks to Moore, however, Utah State got off to a decent start.

After scoring only seven points in Tuesday night's 56-44 win over Wyoming, Moore had five in the opening 2:05 against San Diego State.

The Aggies owned a 5-2 lead before their offense came to a grinding halt. Over the next seven minutes, Utah State converted only one of its 14 possessions. Five ended in turnovers.

The Aztecs weren't much more efficient, but they opened an 11-7 lead after former University of Utah forward J.J. O'Brien made back-to-back baskets.

It was 16-11 with 4:10 remaining when Utah State got a badly needed 3-pointer from Moore. Unfortunately for the Aggies, they didn't score again in the first half and San Diego State crept away to a 21-14 lead.

In the second half, the game quickly became a rout.

San Diego's Skylar Spencer sandwiched quick baskets around a field goal by Aggie freshman David Collette, triggering a 12-2 run that gave the Aztecs a 33-16 lead with 16:40 left.

It took Utah State seven minutes to score again. San Diego State eventually opened a 26-point lead and coasted to victory.

"In the second half, I think we came out a little flat," Morrill said. "We were a little stunned by how they took us out of everything. We came out and didn't play very well."

Looking ahead, Morrill said, "I don't think there will be anybody in the Mountain West that will win here. I don't. So the best thing we can do is flush it and move on. It doesn't matter if you lose by two or by 20 — you lose." —

Storylines

• Aqeel Quinn scores 15 points to lead San Diego State to a lopsided win over Utah State.

• The Aggies shoot a season-low 29.2 percent and score only 14 points in the first half.

• Jalen Moore leads Utah State with 13 points. No other Aggie managed more than seven.