The WAC beat reporters check in

Here we go with the various reports on last night's games:

Aggies still kings of WAC
Jared Eborn
Deseret News
January 18, 2009

LOGAN — Utah State had no interest in sharing first place atop the Western Athletic Conference standings.

And in increasing their home-court win streak to 28 games and their overall win streak to 12 with a 79-65 win over Boise State, the Aggies don't have to worry much about feeling crowded at the top of the WAC.

The win left even typically critical Aggie coach Stew Morrill satisfied.

"Once in a while they need to hear from me that they're doing OK," Morrill said after making his post-game team session the shortest in a long time. "And they're doing OK."

That might be a bit of an understatement. The Aggies now have the third-longest win streak in the country and are flirting with a Top 25 ranking...

Go here for the remainder.

Here's more from Jared Eborn.

Shawn Harrison has his take:

Aggies bust Broncos
Shawn Harrison
The Herald Journal
January 18, 2009

There was no lack of energy Saturday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

Having had a shaky outing on Thursday against Fresno State, Utah State rebounded in fine fashion in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,270. It also helped that defending Western Athletic Conference Tournament champion Boise State was in town.

The Broncos had the home team’s full attention, as well as the 4,500 USU students who were out in full force.

In the end, the Aggies just kept on rolling, notching their 12th straight win and 28th consecutive victory at home, 79-65 over Boise State...

Go here for the remainder.

Here's Nick Jezierny:

Leading scorer goes down and so does the Boise State men's basketball team
Forward Mark Sanchez was limited after stepping on a TV cameraman and spraining his ankle. The Broncos fall into a tie for third place in the WAC
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
1/18/09

LOGAN, Utah — The Dee Glen Smith Spectrum remains a house of horrors for the Boise State men’s basketball team. The Broncos never have won on Utah State’s home court, and with first place in the WAC on the line Saturday night, they lost 79-65 to the Aggies in front of a rabid sellout crowd of 10,270.

The victory kept Utah State (17-1, 5-0 WAC) in sole possession of first place in the conference and dropped Boise State (12-5, 3-2) into a third-place tie with New Mexico State, which plays in Boise on Thursday.

“We had our chances,” Boise State coach Greg Graham said. “We played harder than we did the other night (a 77-63 loss at Nevada), but we didn’t play as smart. The two things you have to do are play hard and play smart. If you do one without the other, you’re probably going to get beat...”

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+++++

Nevada and Fresno battled all game, with the Pack coming away with a home win.

Pack basketball: Nevada lands final punch against Fresno St.
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
January 18, 2009

In a slugfest of a game, the Nevada basketball team was never really able to land the knockout blow against Fresno State.
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The Wolf Pack had the Bulldogs woozy a few times Thursday night, building a lead as large as 15 points in the second half. But every time Nevada pushed Fresno State against the ropes, the Bulldogs bullied back into the game.

When the final bell rang -- or buzzer, in this case -- it was Nevada that walked out of Lawlor Events Center with the hard-fought 65-60 victory.

It wasn't especially pretty -- the teams combined to shoot 35.2 percent from the field and committed 29 turnovers -- but the Wolf Pack and its 7,449 fans in attendance will take the win...

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Joe Santoro of The Nevada Appeal provides his report.

Daniel Lyght had this in The Fresno Bee:

Youth hurts 'Dogs in latest men's hoops defeat
Daniel Lyght
The Fresno Bee
January 17, 2009

The paucity of veterans on the Fresno State men's basketball team becomes glaringly clear at the end of games. Four contests into the Western Athletic Conference season, it's apparent the Bulldogs have matured, but late in games they still act their age.

Saturday night at Nevada, the Bulldogs (7-11, 0-4 WAC) froze in the game's waning moments for the third straight contest, losing 65-60 to the Wolf Pack (11-7, 4-1).

"We are doing [positive] things but we have our moments where we're very consistent and then we have our moments where we're inconsistent," Cleveland said. "That's our experience. We're new..."

Go here for the remainder.

Finally, here are two game reports from the Honolulu newspapers on San Jose State's win over Hawaii:

San Jose State rallies past Hawaii, 73-61
Dayton Morinaga
Honolulu Advertiser

You can't defend home court without proper defense.

The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team found out the frustrating way in a 73-61 loss to San Jose State.

A crowd of 4,319 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the Rainbow Warriors drop to 9-8 overall and 1-4 in the Western Athletic Conference. The Spartans improved to 8-8 and 2-3.

After two lackluster losses on the road, the 'Bows had a full week to prepare for the Spartans. But those plans were thwarted when San Jose State out-scored Hawai'i 48-32 in the second half...

Go here for the remainder.

and

Rainbows start fast, then fade
Brian McInnis
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
January 18, 2009

Six years of frustration against Hawaii ended for San Jose State last night. A disappointing start to the Western Athletic Conference season lives on for the Rainbow Warriors.

The Rainbows now stand eighth in the nine-team WAC after a demoralizing 73-61 loss to the Spartans before a crowd of 4,319 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Behind the slashing drives of point guard Justin Graham and timely 3-point shooting by the rest of the Spartans (8-8, 2-3 WAC), the visitors broke an 11-game losing streak against UH (9-8, 1-4) going back to 2003...

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