By C. Jake Williams

February 10, 2007 | Jaycee Carroll scored just three points in the first 16 minutes of play Saturday night in the Spectrum, but totaled 23 points over the final 24 minutes, leading Utah State to a 78-73 victory over San Jose State. The Aggies are now tops in the WAC at 8-1 and 18-6 overall.

"We were very fortunate to win," said USU coach Stew Morrill.

The Aggies struggled to impose their will in the paint against the Spartans, losing both the rebounding and points-in-the-paint battles by margins of 37-29 and 34-20, respectively. Nobody was more affected by SJSU's physical play than USU forward Tai Wesley, who finished with 13 points, no rebounds and one blood-stained jersey.

"I got whacked in the face," said Wesley. "They chipped my tooth, messed my nose up."

After accruing a 13-7 lead in the first five minutes, the Aggies trailed SJSU 25-29 with just over three minutes left in the first half. Carroll then scored the final seven Aggie points of the half to tie the game 32-32 at intermission.

SJSU later led 40-38, but four minutes and one 12-0 USU run later the score was 50-40 for the Aggies. Thanks in no small part to Carroll's right hand, the Aggies never trailed again.

Carroll finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds, both game highs. Gary Wilkinson added 15 points and seven boards.

The Spartans were led by forward C.J. Webster's 21 points on 9-13 shooting. Tim Pierce added 15 points of his own, including four makes from beyond the arc. SJSU is now 2-8 in conference play and 10-13 overall.

Next up for USU is a three-game road trip, including an important game Monday at Nevada. A win in Reno would give the Aggies a 1.5 game lead in the WAC.

WITH AUTHORITY: Gary Wilkinson throws down a dunk against SJSU. / Photo by Seili Lewis

Notes:

In retaliation to the first-half whack he received, the swollen-lipped Wesley set what he called a "bone crusher" screen. "Instead of taking the hit, I gave the hit, so it was fun," said Wesley after the game.

Following USU's 12-0 run, three of the five SJSU players on the court moved down the court in a manner I can only describe as Trudging. I'm not sure whether the Spartans have a hand signal for exhaustion, but mass trudging seemed to get the message across and a timeout was called.

Aggie forward Stephen DuCharme attempted two three-point jumpers in the first half, missing both, and is now 1-10 on the season beyond the arc.

During game play, the female Aggie cheerleaders sit uniformly with one foreleg parallel to the court and the other sticking straight behind them. They alternate, or at least switch up, which leg is in each position.

The male cheerleaders, on the other hand, don't display such discipline between whistles: One prefers to sit elbows-on-knees, another cross-legged with palms on the hardwood, and a third leans back with his legs extended.

Trailing 68-54 with 4:47 left in the game, the Spartans switched to a high-energy, chest-to-chest man defense. USU didn't score again until a Carroll layup made the score 70-61 with 1:45 remaining. Let's hope the Aggies study those three minutes in case the Feb. 18 rematch is a closer contest.

MAKING HIS MOVE: Jaycee Carroll drives gainst San Jose State. / Photo by Seili Lewis