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Wilkinson leads Utah State to 18th straight win

Feb 8, 2009 - 6:41 AM LOGAN, Utah (Ticker) -- Utah State just keeps rolling.

Gary Wilkinson scored 16 points to lead the 22nd-ranked Aggies to their nation-leading 18th consecutive victory, a 60-52 triumph over Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

"It was God-awful ugly," Utah State coach Stew Morrill told the Salt Lake Tribune. "If you don't like slugfests, they're hard to watch."

"We find a way," Wilkinson added.

Tyler Newbold finished with 13 points and seven rebounds and Jared Quayle handed out eight assists for Utah State (23-1, 11-0 WAC), which has not lost since December 6.

Kyle Gibson poured in 14 points and reserve Olu Ashaolu added 12 for the Bulldogs (9-15, 3-8), who have lost nine of their last 12 contests.

"Their record doesn't describe them at all," said Aggies guard Pooh Williams, who recorded eight points and three assists. "They're real athletic."

Magnum Rolle's jumper tied the contest at 17-17 with 1:35 left in the first half, but Louisiana Tech did not score again until David Jackson hit a 3-pointer over six minutes into the second half.

During that stretch, the Aggies went on a 17-0 run. Williams capped the burst with a 3-pointer to give Utah State a commanding 34-17 advantage with 14:30 to play.

"Like we have all year, we came in the second half and played great," Newbold said. "We responded to adversity well."

But the Bulldogs clawed their way back into the game as Rolle's dunk highlighted an 8-0 spurt that cut the deficit to 44-38 with 6:28 remaining.

After Wilkinson's three-point play restored the Aggies' double-digit lead, Gibson and James Loe hit back-to-back shots from the arc to make it 52-46 with 3:42 left.