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Reno • Utah State hit the jackpot Tuesday night at the Lawlor Events Center.

Jalen Moore matched his career high with 22 points, leading the Aggies to a 70-54 victory over Nevada.

Utah State improved to 11-7 overall and 4-2 in the Mountain West Conference. The Wolf Pack slipped to 6-11 and 2-3.

Nevada rallied from a 16-point deficit with 15:11 left and got as close as five before Utah State used a 10-0 run to put the game away.

Moore finished in double figures for the 16th straight game by pouring in 14 points in the second half.

For Stew Morrill, the victory improved his record as the Aggies' head coach to 395-150. He needs five more to reach 400 in his 17 seasons.

The Aggies set the tone for this win in the first half, when they played exceptional defense and built a 29-19 lead.

Despite eight early points by Nevada's A.J. West, Utah State took a 13-12 lead with 7:53 left when Darius Perkins buried a jump shot.

Moore followed with a rebound basket — his first points of the game — and USU eventually used a 12-2 run over a 4 1/2-minute stretch to build a 23-14 advantage.

After the teams traded baskets, Jojo McGlaston made two free throws and Smith converted a layup as time expired, bumping the Aggies' advantage to 10 points.

In the second half, Moore scored six points in the opening 4:49 and Utah State's lead mushroomed to 42-26. The Wolf Pack finally started making some shots, however, and they used a 12-2 run to rally.

West's three-point play with 8:45 remaining made it 45-40 before the Aggies managed to steady themselves. Perkins scored off an assist by McGlaston and Smith nailed a3-pointer to make it 50-40.

Backup center Elston Jones followed with one of the most significant stretches of his freshman season. He made a jump shot to give Utah State a 12-point lead and followed with steal.

Moore converted the Nevada turnover into a three-pointer with 6:51 remaining, giving the Aggies an insurmountable 60-45 lead.

Going into the game, Morrill expected a battle from Nevada.

"They've played some really good games," he said. "They went to UNLV and won. They had a [98-42] debacle at Colorado State, which happens sometimes on the road. But, their personal is very athletic, very physical. They've got some guys who have played a lot of basketball for them." —

Storylines

• Jalen Moore matches a career high with 22 points to lead Utah State past Nevada.

• With a 16-point lead down to five, the Aggies use a late 10-0 run to secure their victory.

—

Utah State 70, Nevada 54

UTAH ST. (11-7)

Collette 4-9 2-4 10, J. Moore 9-15 0-1 22, Perkins 4-8 0-0 9, Pearre 2-7 0-0 5, Smith 4-11 1-2 10, Bolton 0-1 0-0 0, McGlaston 1-4 6-6 8, Harris 1-2 0-0 2, Jones 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 27-59 9-13 70.

NEVADA (6-11)

Missa 4-6 0-0 8, West 6-11 6-7 18, Coleman 2-11 2-2 7, Fenner 1-11 0-1 2, Perez 0-5 0-0 0, Criswell 4-7 1-1 9, Rodriguez 0-0 0-0 0, Cooper Jr. 2-6 0-0 5, Stevens Jr. 1-2 1-4 3, Stivrins 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 21-60 10-15 54.

Halftime—Utah St. 29-19. 3-Point Goals—Utah St. 7-15 (J. Moore 4-4, Smith 1-2, Perkins 1-3, Pearre 1-3, Bolton 0-1, Collette 0-1, McGlaston 0-1), Nevada 2-18 (Coleman 1-4, Cooper Jr. 1-5, Fenner 0-2, Criswell 0-2, Perez 0-5). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Utah St. 32 (Collette 7), Nevada 44 (West 9). Assists—Utah St. 15 (McGlaston 5), Nevada 13 (Criswell, Perez 3). Total Fouls—Utah St. 16, Nevada 13. Technical—Rodriguez. A—5,318.

Totals 26-61 13-18 74.