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Utah State goes for 19th straight at Idaho

Feb 12, 2009 - 11:22 AM No. 17 Utah State (23-1) at Idaho (10-12) 10:05 p.m. EST

MOSCOW, Idaho (Ticker) -- It is only early February, but Utah State is already in position to clinch its second consecutive Western Athletic Conference crown.

The 17th-ranked Aggies will look to capture a share of the conference title and match a school record with their 19th straight win when they visit Idaho on Thursday.

Utah State (23-1, 11-0 WAC) is 4 1/2 games ahead of its closest competition in the league standings. However, another loss could damage the Aggies' NCAA Tournament hopes in the event they get upset in the WAC Tournament.

Gary Wilkinson is the team-leader with 17.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while Tai Wesley and Jared Quayle both average over 12.0 points a contest.

After a lackluster, 22-point performance in the first half against Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Utah State held off the Bulldogs for a 60-52 win.

Idaho (10-12, 4-5) has lost back-to-back contests, including a 71-49 defeat at Hawaii on Saturday.

Mac Hopson leads the Vandals with 16.4 points per game, though he was limited to a season-low five points on 2-of-8 against the Warriors.