Too little, too late, once again.

Utah State systematically dismantled Hawaii in the first half and went on to win 67-51 before a crowd of 4,100 last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

It was a strikingly similar pattern to UH's road loss at Nevada on Thursday—the Rainbows fell behind early before making a spirited but unsuccessful comeback attempt in the second half.

First place Utah State (19-1, 7-0 Western Athletic Conference) extended its winning streak to 14, the second-longest in the nation. Hawaii (9-10, 1-6) remained in last place with its fifth straight loss. It is the Rainbows' worst start in WAC play since the 1999 season.

After falling behind by as many as 20 in the first half, the Rainbows did markedly better—they played the Aggies evenly in the second half—behind a desperate press and renewed hustle. But UH never got closer than 12.

“;You can't play a team like that even and expect to make up ground on them,”; Hawaii coach Bob Nash said. “;Teams keep us guessing ... and we stalled out.”;

Forward Roderick Flemings didn't start for the first time this season—Nash said he was late to a team meeting—and he was slow to get going with 0-for-5 shooting in the first half and 2-for-8 for the game.

Flemings wasn't alone in a poor shooting night. Lasha Parghalava went 2-for-13, Kareem Nitoto 2-for-8 and Petras Balocka 1-for-9. Only forward Bill Amis had an efficient game with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting and three blocked shots.

“;It's lack of effort,”; Amis said of the team's slow start in back-to-back games. “;We need an attitude adjustment, one through 13.”;

UH might have been set up for failure with a brutal schedule that had the team travel to Nevada and fly home to meet the Aggies just 48 hours later. It all but negated home-court advantage.

“;We just didn't have the same zip on offense and defense,”; Nash said.

Utah State pounded Hawaii on the backboards for a 38-28 rebounding advantage. It shot 50 percent for the game behind numerous offensive sets signaled from colored flash cards held by Aggies assistant coaches.

Tai Wesley led Utah State with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Gary Wilkinson also scored 15, Tyler Newbold 13 and Jared Quayle 12. The Aggies shredded Hawaii inside with a 34-16 advantage in points in the paint and 17-8 mark in second-chance points.

“;They showed supremacy down in the post,”; Nash acknowledged.

The Aggies put the Rainbows in a hole early, going up 22-6 on two Wilkinson free throws with 9:49 to go in the first half.

The Rainbows never recovered, as they had difficulty trying to break the Aggies' press and zone defense.

Hawaii committed only four turnovers in the first half and nine for the game, but it matched their dismal field-goal total before halftime (4-for-28 shooting, 14.3 percent). Their 19-point total at halftime was a season low, as was their shooting percentage.

Conversely, Utah State shot 63.6 percent (14-for-22) in the first period in extending to a 36-19 lead at the break.

Hawaii pulled to within 50-35 on an Amis leaner with 10:54 left, and to within 12 on a Flemings three-point play with 4:53 left. But that was as close as it would get.

“;I've been coming here lots of times and leaving with my tail tucked between my legs,”; Utah State coach Stew Morrill said. “;It's always important (to start fast), especially on the road. It builds your confidence. Fortunately for us they were missing a lot of shots.”;

4 inducted at halftime

Multisport athlete Jack Johnson, volleyball players Heather Bown and Clay Stanley, and former UH athletic director Ray Nagel were inducted at halftime into the UH Sports Circle of Honor.

Nash to be honored

The Hawaii Friends of Civil Rights will honor Nash and two others at a reception tonight at the Pacific Club. He'll be joined by Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, sister to President Barack Obama, and Kat Brady, chair of the Honolulu County Committee on the Status of Women.