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San Diego • Since joining the Mountain West Conference three years ago, Utah State has never beaten San Diego State.

The Aggies didn't come close Saturday.

Freshman guard Jeremy Hemlsey scored 18 points and sophomore Trey Kell added 15 to lead the Aztecs to a 70-55 victory over Utah State at Viejas Arena.

Junior point guard Shane Rector tied his career high with 15 points for the Aggies, who owned a 41-39 advantage with 17 minutes left in the game. But the Aztecs quickly regained control and handed USU its fifth loss in the past seven games.

San Diego State improved to 6-0 against Utah State since 2013-14 after the Aggies went scoreless for a four-minute stretch in the first half and a five-minute span of the second.

"After the first [few] minutes, I thought we competed hard," USU coach Tim Duryea said. "We just have to figure out a way to avoid those" extended scoring droughts.

Trailing by five points at halftime, Utah State used a quick 7-0 burst to take a 39-37 lead. Moments later, Chris Smith scored after an offensive rebound to make it 41-39.

Just when it looked like the Aggies might pull an upset, however, Kell hit a 3-point shot and Utah State committed three straight turnovers.

In an eight-minute span, San Diego State used a 21-5 explosion to build a 60-46 lead with 7:50 remaining.

Utah State's biggest problem during the game-turning run was its offense and inability to defend without fouling. The Aggies converted two of 14 possessions into field goals. The Aztecs, meanwhile, shot 13 free throws during 14-possession stretch.

"We fouled too much, obviously," Duryea said. "And we missed way too many open jumpers. … We just couldn't make them. That was the difference."

Said Aztec coach Steve Fisher: "We've got to do a better job not letting them get second-chance baskets and we have to take care of the ball. Those are my two biggest gripes about today. But I liked how we rebounded and responded."

Utah State appeared to fall hopelessly behind in the opening 10 minutes.

The Aggies trailed, 6-5, when the Aztecs scored nine straight points. After Skylar Spencer got inside and scored, San Diego State built a 25-13 lead.

That's when Utah State got a lift off the bench from Elston Jones and Rector.

Jones, a 6-foot-9 sophomore center who had played only 49 minutes in the previous five games, contributed seven points in the final 9:08. He also provided a paint presence that prevented the Aztecs from dominating at the rim.

On the perimeter, Rector scored eight points in the final 7:32 as Utah State clawed back into the game. The Aggies trailed, 37-32, at halftime but eventually slipped to 11-8 this season, including 3-5 in the Mountain West.

Darius Perkins scored 13 points for Utah State while Jalen Moore contributed 11. But Smith, the Aggies' No. 2 scorer this season, managed only two points on 1-for-10 shooting. —

Storylines

R Freshman Jeremy Hemsley scores 18 points, leading San Diego State to a 70-55 win over Utah State.

• The Aggies own a 41-39 lead with 17 minutes remaining before the Aztecs take over with a 21-5 run.

• Utah State drops to 11-8 overall on the season and 3-5 in Mountain West Conference play.

San Diego State 70, Utah State 55

UTAH ST. (11-8)

J. Moore 5-14 0-1 11, Taylor 0-1 0-0 0, Perkins 4-6 2-2 13, Pearre 1-8 0-0 2, Smith 1-10 0-0 2, Rector 6-8 1-2 15, Evans 1-3 0-0 3, Middleton 1-3 0-0 2, Jones 3-7 1-2 7.

Totals 22-60 4-7 55.

SAN DIEGO ST. (14-6)

Spencer 2-3 0-1 4, Shepard 2-8 0-0 4, Cheatham 2-5 5-6 9, Kell 5-9 3-3 15, Hemsley 5-8 6-8 18, Chol 5-7 2-3 12, Allen 1-5 1-1 3, Perez 1-4 0-0 3, Shrigley 0-3 0-0 0, Pope 1-1 0-0 2, U'u 0-0 0-0 0, Federico 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-53 17-22 70.

Halftime—San Diego St. 37-32. 3-Point Goals—Utah St. 7-24 (Perkins 3-4, Rector 2-2, Evans 1-2, J. Moore 1-7, Smith 0-3, Pearre 0-6), San Diego St. 5-16 (Kell 2-4, Hemsley 2-5, Perez 1-3, Allen 0-1, Shrigley 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Utah St. 33 (Taylor 8), San Diego St. 37 (Chol 9). Assists—Utah St. 10 (Rector 4), San Diego St. 13 (Shepard 5). Total Fouls—Utah St. 20, San Diego St. 12. A—12,414.

MWC Standings

Conference Overall

W L Pct. W L Pct.

San Diego St. 7 0 1.000 14 6 .700

Boise St. 6 1 .857 15 5 .750

New Mexico 4 2 .667 11 8 .579

Fresno St. 4 3 .571 13 7 .650

UNLV 3 3 .500 12 7 .632

Nevada 3 3 .500 11 7 .611

Colorado St. 3 3 .500 11 8 .579

Utah St. 3 5 .375 11 8 .579

Wyoming 3 5 .375 10 11 .476

Air Force 1 6 .143 10 10 .500

San Jose St. 1 7 .125 5 14 .263

Saturday's games

Fresno St. 56, Air Force 55

Boise St. 81, Wyoming 71

New Mexico 83, San Jose St. 64

San Diego St. 70, Utah St. 55

UNLV at Nevada, late