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Logan • A cluster of Aggie fans decided it was time to serenade the visiting Vaqueros with their own rendition of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." After watching Utah State struggle briefly out of the gate, the fans finally felt comfortable enough to bust out some holiday tunes a possession before the Aggies took a 20-point first-half lead.
It was their way, they screamed, of cheering up the opposition as USU kept extending its lead.
A 20-4 run later followed by a 14-4 run was enough to convince the fans near the floor that their Aggies were well on their way to a victory in the opener of the Global Hoops Sports Showcase on Monday night in Logan.
USU eclipsed the 90-point mark for the first time since 2013 and had five players in double figures in the 94-69 win over U-T Rio Grande Valley at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Senior Chris Smith had a team-high 18 points, plus seven rebounds and six assists, while Jalen Moore (13 points), Julion Pearre (13 points), Grayson Moore (12 points) and Lew Evans (12 points) rounded out USU's players in double digits.
"I thought our guys were in a great frame of mind tonight," USU coach Tim Duryea said. "That's Utah State basketball in a nutshell right there."
Pearre's 3-pointer early in the first half started the roll the Vaqueros couldn't overcome. Smith followed with a coast-to-coast lay-up. Jalen Moore followed with a long jumper. Shane Rector was next, crossing up Vaquero Antonio Green and getting to the hoop for a contested lay-in. A one-handed dunk by Grayson Moore — off a slick feed from younger brother Jalen — brought the fans in the Spectrum to their feet.
The Moore brothers added consecutive 3-pointers on USU's next two possessions to put the Aggies up 24-13. Once Green cut the Aggie lead to six, USU answered with a 14-4 run, again highlighted by long-distance shooting from Grayson Moore and Pearre.
"We didn't take hard shots," Grayson Moore said. "We were moving the ball around, making the extra pass [and] getting the next guy an easy look."
Once the Vaqueros crept closer in on the Aggie lead early in the second half, they were pushed further back. A 3-pointer by Smith, a lay-up by Evans and a two-handed slam by Jalen Moore pushed the Aggie lead to 25 — up 61-36 — on a 13-2 run. A pair of Evans free throws put USU up 31 with 8:20 left in the second half.
"We got it going at the end," Smith said.
The Aggies, relishing their first win since Dec. 1, cruised.
USU hosts Idaho State on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Spectrum, before closing out the tournament against North Dakota State on Wednesday night at home.
"When we win these next two, [we'll] build momentum," Smith said.
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