The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team didn't come close to playing party pooper last night.

Utah State clinched the Western Athletic Conference regular-season championship at the expense of the Rainbow Warriors at Logan, Utah.

The Aggies routed Hawai'i, 82-62, in a game that was close only for the opening minutes.

"They really pounded the boards and we gave them too many second chances," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "We just had an off night on the boards, and I thought we gave them too many good looks near the basket."

The Aggies got to paint the WAC by dominating the 'Bows in the paint. Utah State out-scored Hawai'i by an astounding 54-12 margin on baskets from close range.

"You can't give up those kind of numbers and expect to come out with the victory," Nash said.

Utah State improved to 26-3 overall and 13-1 in the WAC, including a sweep of the two-game series with Hawai'i. It is the first outright WAC regular-season championship for the Aggies. They tied for the title last season.

A crowd of 8,717 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum watched the Aggies win their 33rd consecutive home game. The student section of around 3,000 stormed the court after the final horn sounded. The Utah State players and coaches cut down the nets in celebration after the game.

Hawai'i dropped to 13-14 overall and 5-9 in the WAC. The 'Bows are now tied for seventh place in the nine-team conference with two games remaining.

Hawai'i will play a crucial game at San Jose State tomorrow. The Spartans defeated Idaho, 72-64, last night to move into sixth place at 5-8.

"We tried to give our starters a breather once it ballooned to a substantial lead," Nash said. "So hopefully our guys got some rest ... before we head to San Jose and get ready for that game."

Yes, it was that bad.

Sophomore point guard Hiram Thompson had career-highs of 16 points and seven assists, but it was hardly enough against the efficient Aggies.

"I was real pleased with the way Hiram played," Nash said. "But any time a team gets 65 shots to your 47, that's a big difference. You're not going to have a very good shot of winning the game."

Utah State shot 36 of 65 from the field (55.4 percent), while Hawai'i went 23 of 47 (48.9 percent).

The 'Bows stayed close only for the game's first eight minutes.

Hawai'i trailed 17-15 with 11:48 remaining, but the Aggies then went on a 10-0 run to increase their lead to 27-15. Utah State eventually took a 41-28 lead at intermission, and the 'Bows never got closer than 12 in the second half.

The Aggies put the game away with a 13-0 run that increased their lead to 62-37 with 10:58 remaining.

The final margin of 20 points tied for the largest deficit of this season for the 'Bows.

Bill Amis added 12 points and eight rebounds, and Roderick Flemings scored 10 for the 'Bows.

Hawai'i had its best 3-point shooting night of the season, going 6 for 10. Thompson led the way by shooting 4 for 4 from long range.

But Utah State out-rebounded the 'Bows 36-25, and got 21 second-chance points off its 16 offensive rebounds.

Hawai'i played without key reserve center Petras Balocka, who did not make the trip because of a groin injury.

The low-post tandem of Gary Wilkinson and Tai Wesley led the Utah State attack.

Wilkinson, a 6-foot-9 senior, finished with 27 points on 12-of-18 shooting, and seven rebounds.

"He had it going tonight," Nash said. "He's just a very good basketball player, maybe the conference player of the year."

Wesley, a 6-7 sophomore, added 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and eight rebounds.

Louisiana Tech upset New Mexico State yesterday to tie Hawai'i with a 5-9 WAC record. Both Hawai'i and LaTech are trying to avoid finishing in eighth place, which would mean a spot in the dreaded play-in game for the WAC Tournament.

The 'Bows swept LaTech this season, so they own the tiebreaker over the Bulldogs.