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Fazekas powers Nevada past Utah State

Jan 28, 2007 - 6:18 AM RENO, Nevada (Ticker) -- Utah State was the last team to beat Nevada at home, so Nick Fazekas couldn't wait to get his hands on them.

Fazekas scored 24 points and grabbed a career high-tying 18 rebounds as the No. 15 Wolf Pack posted a 79-62 Western Athletic Conference victory over the Aggies.

Marcelus Kemp had 15 points and Ramon Sessions added 13 and seven assists for Nevada (19-2, 7-1 WAC), which has won 13 straight here after suffering a 59-53 loss to Utah State on January 23, 2006.

"We ran out of gas," Utah State coach Stan Morrill said. "Their size wore us down. We had a tough time scoring on their defense because of their size."

Fazekas, a Wooden Award candidate, converted 9-of-17 from the field as the Wolf Pack shot 50 percent (29-of-58), including 9-of-23 from 3-point range.

"I'm pleased," Nevada coach Mark Fox said. "Offensively we showed good patience and got a lot of assists."

The two-time Western Conference Player of the Year suffered a severe ankle sprain January 8 vs. Boise State and was sidelined for the first time in his career, missing two games.

He matched his career high on the boards which he had previously done twice, including 18 on November 15 at Oregon State.

"Because of my ankle, I haven't had much lift the last two or three games," Fazekas said. "I was relying on the ball to come to me. I did a much better job tonight, but still have strides to make with my ankle.

Kyle Shiloh added 10 points, including 2-of-3 from the arc, for Nevada, which has won three straight and 13 of 14 overall.

"We seem to find a way to win," Fazekas said.

Jaycee Carroll scored 15 points and Chaz Spicer added 12 for the Aggies (15-6, 4-3), who shot 41 percent (25-of-61) and lost for the first time in six games.

"Nevada was physical and did a great job defensively," Carroll said. "They are one of the top teams in the conference on me defensively."

Utah State has dropped its last five games to top-25 teams.