Fourth quarter seals Aggie women’s basketball victory
In their first game hosting the Bengals since 2013, the Utah State women’s basketball team defeated visiting Idaho State 69-56.
The first quarter saw a tightly contested match-up, where the Aggies showed they were defensive minded. Utah State racked up three blocks and two steals, but were out rebounded by Idaho State (12-6). Deja Mason, the Aggies sophomore center, notched a block in the opening minutes and continued pestering the Bengal offense, chasing her opponents from the paint to the perimeter and anywhere in between.
Senior forward Antoina Robinson, who scored one point on the night, said early defensive prowess was instrumental for the team.
“I wanted to score, but that wasn’t my main focus tonight,” Robinson said. “I had to remind myself, ‘I came here to defend and rebound’ so that was what I had to do.”
At the end of the first half, the Aggies led 32-24. Leading scorer Rachel Brewster tallied 11 points, adding an assist and a steal. Freshman Shannon Dufficy led the team in rebounds (five). Robinson, who was celebrating her birthday, collected three boards, one block, one assist and one point.
It was over, though, and the Bengals made a comeback attempt. After being down by eight points at halftime, Idaho State outscored the Aggies 17-11, including five of those points early in the third quarter. The Bengals then tied Utah State at 43 in the first minute of the final quarter. For the Aggies, that was a wake up call. Utah State forced five turnovers and three fouls in the first five minutes of play.
In the final ten minutes of play, the 26 points posted by the Aggies were the highest in the game and 11 more than the Bengals. Brewster ended up with 22 points
The fourth quarter onslaught was led by freshman guard Olivia West, who knocked down all of her four three-pointers in a span of three minutes, even when coach Finkbeiner told West to hold on before the shot.
“To be honest, I didn’t hear him. I was kind of just feeling it,” West said. “I wouldn’t have shot it if I heard him.”
For Brewster and West, their 22 and 15 points (respectively) were both career highs.
Utah State head coach Jerry Finkbeiner praised the Aggies on their offensive and defensive success at different spots throughout the game.
“If we could bottle up the second quarter defense and fourth quarter offense…maybe Connecticut could beat us,” Finkbeiner said. Connecticut is currently ranked second in the nation.
Utah State is now 6-1 on the season, their first such season since 1978. The Aggies will make the trip through Sardine Canyon for Saturday’s 2 p.m. matchup against the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Fans can follow along on the Utah Live Stream as well as the Pac-12 conference.