Wesley, Aggies keep their cool

As San Jose State threatened to pull off the biggest upset the Western Athletic Conference had seen in years, Tai Wesley acted as if it were August and he was playing a pickup game in Logan, Utah.

When you're a senior and things get snug, you learn how to handle the situation. In Wesley's case, the Utah State forward came up with a huge putback basket with 2:38 to play and then made two free throws with five seconds left to secure the top-seeded Aggies' 58-54 victory over No. 8-seeded San Jose State in the WAC tournament semifinals Friday at Orleans Arena.

Utah State (29-3), ranked No. 23 in the nation, will play Boise State at 7 p.m. today for the WAC tournament championship and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"We've stayed together as a team all year, and we're on the same page," said Wesley, who had 14 points. "We don't lose our composure when things get tight."

The same couldn't be said for the Spartans, who were assessed two technical fouls -- one on coach George Nessman late in the first half, the other on guard Justin Graham early in the second half. The four resulting free throws were critical for the Aggies, who made just 37 percent of their field-goal attempts, including only 3 of 14 from 3-point range.

"At the time, we needed the points," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said. "We've all been there when you think calls don't go your way. It can be very frustrating."

Wesley admitted there's a lot of pressure to cut down the nets tonight. Utah State has been the WAC's dominant program the past four years, winning the conference title each season and losing just nine league games in that span.

"We get everyone's best shot," said Wesley, one of the Aggies' six seniors. "As seniors, it's up to us to show the way and we've all put in our time. The bar is set pretty high and we have to maintain it."

Morrill said having senior leadership on the floor helps.

"That's been huge for us our entire season," he said. "We've won a lot of basketball games because of our experienced players. They don't panic."

Wesley said each senior worked hard over the summer. In his case, he improved his passing skills in the post and did a better job of reading double-teams when making offensive moves in the paint.

"I saw the difference early in the season," Wesley said. "I was playing better, and the other guys were playing better. I think it shows in our record."

Still, the Spartans (17-15) had a chance to win it with their star, Adrian Oliver, the nation's third-leading scorer this season at 24.6 points per game.

San Jose State trailed 56-54 with 29 seconds left after a missed free throw by Wesley. Oliver got a good look from 26 feet with eight seconds left for what would have been a go-ahead 3-pointer.

But Oliver's shot missed the mark, the Aggies rebounded, Wesley sank his two free throws, and Utah State moved on.

The Aggies' aggressive defense helped limit Wesley to 16 points.

■ Boise State 81, New Mexico State 63 -- The second-seeded Broncos (20-11) will face Utah State after blowing open the game with a 20-6 run early in the second half to lead by as many as 24 in their eighth straight victory.

Third-seeded New Mexico State (16-17) committed 15 turnovers, which led to 21 Boise State points. The Aggies also were outrebounded, 31-26.

Boise State got balanced scoring, putting six players in double figures, led by La'Shard Anderson and Ryan Watkins with 16 points apiece. Tyrone Watson led New Mexico State with 15 points.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or at 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.