RENO, Nev. – Utah State's hot start Saturday put the Pack in a deep, early hole, and Nevada could not climb out in a 78-49 defeat at Lawlor Events Center.

The Aggies (12-9, 3-5 MW) shot 56.3 percent (18-for-32) in the opening half, building a 45-27 lead at the break. Nevada shot just 31.0 percent for the contest, and was just 2-for-15 from deep, including 1-for-10 in the opening half.

The final 10 minutes of the first half was the difference-maker Saturday. Nevada (9-9, 3-4 MW), trailing just 19-17 after a Will Baker layup with 9:54 left, went just 4-for-12 the rest of the period, and committed six turnovers. Utah State, on the other side, had five different players score over a 12-2 run to open up a 31-19 lead, and stretched the advantage to 17 at 40-23 on Steven Ashworth's three-point play with three minutes on the clock.

Utah State answered Baker's opening bucket of the second half with nine-straight points, four coming from Justin Bean, who, with 12 points, was one of six Aggies to finish in double figures.

Baker scored 11 points with five rebounds for the Pack, while Desmond Cambridge Jr. led the team with 12 points and seven boards.

Nevada embarks on a week-long, three-game road trip, beginning with Tuesday's Silver State Series showdown at UNLV. The trip continues Friday at Fresno State before coming to a close Sunday afternoon at San Diego State.