By Craig Morris

December 23, 2008 | The Aggies kept their home win streak alive as Tai Wesley's tip-in with 0.1 seconds remaining gave them a 66-64 victory against Utah.

Wesley led the way for Utah State with 18 points and the kind of hustle that doesn't show up in the stats.

Jared Quayle seemed to be finding his groove as he added 16 points, six rebounds and six assists as the new starting point guard. Gary Wilkinson had his hands full with 7-foot-2 center Luke Nevill, but still managed 14 points of his own. Nevill led all scorers with 25.

The Aggies never trailed and led by as many as 11 points multiple times throughout, until Utah tied the game in the seconds before Wesley's tip.

Although the Ags never found a way to bury the Utes, they did what needed to be done to win.

"I felt like our team was more physical than them," said Quayle. "We came out and played as hard as we could."

The Ags led by six points at the half and built that lead several times in the second half. Each time the visiting Utes brought it close again, the rambunctious crowd provided the needed energy to maintain a steady lead. At times, even Coach Stew Morrill could be seen waving his arms upward to help pump up the crowd.

"A little Spectrum magic, and we got out of here with a win," said Morrill.

The Aggies will get a three-day break before they are back at it with practice Dec. 26. "Great Christmas present to us to get out of here with a win," added Morrill.

Utah State improved to 9-1 on the season. All that remains before WAC play begins Jan. 5 is the Duel in the Desert. The Aggies will host Howard, Houston Baptist and Wyoming in the Dec. 29-31 tournament.

The Aggies seem to be clicking on all cylinders as they approach the ever-competitive WAC season. Wilkinson, Wesley, and Tyler Newbold are averaging double figures in scoring. Wilkinson leads the team with 17.1 a game. Wilkinson also leads the team in rebounds with 8.1 per game while Wesley is the team leader in assists at 3.3 per game.

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