Aggies survive close call with Air Force 46-40

In a low-scoring game at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Aggies won their Mountain West Conference tournament opener against Air Force, 46-40. The Aggies will move into the quarterfinals for the second straight year, this time to face UNLV.

“We found a way to win tonight and that’s going to give us cause for a good night’s sleep,” said head coach Jerry Finkbeiner.

Featuring the two lowest-scoring teams in the conference, the Monday night game never promised to be a showcase of offensive firepower. As expected, a tough and gritty game ensued, full of defense but short on points.

The Aggies started the game with their patented stingy defense, allowing only three points until deep in the first quarter. The offense, however, lagged behind for much of the first half, managing only 17 points heading into the intermission.

The second half brought an uptick in offensive success for the Aggies, as Utah State shot a much more normal 36.7 percent.

“We saw the score and thought okay, it’s time to get each other up and make shots and keep playing defense,” said senior Antoina Robinson.

Robinson anchored the Aggie defense for the majority of the night, finishing with two steals and three blocks, including a clutch block in the final minute that led to a Brewster fast-break bucket that gave the Utah State the lead with under three minutes to play.

Matt Halton

“Those kind of plays tend to be inspirational,” Finkbeiner said following the game. “There’s an adrenaline rush, the team surrounds and picks up on those same emotions… They’re athletic plays, but they’re very emotional plays… Helped us win the game, definitely.” Robinson also finished with seven points on the night.

Utah State was also able to gain momentum during the last few seconds of the third quarter, as an inbounds pass to Robinson at halfcourt with 2.5 seconds left led to a deep two-pointer from Olivia West as time expired to put the Aggies up 32-30 heading into the final frame. West finished the night with eight points on 4-9 shooting.

The Aggies’ other West was limited by a left hand injury suffered in practice prior to the tournament. A game-time decision, Mountain West Freshman of the Year Eliza West was held to just two points and three assists on the night.

“She didn’t get great stats tonight, but she had a lot of fast break plays and break in the press,” Finkbeiner said. “She’s as tough as they come, and she’s a little bit of our heart out there.”

Even with West’s injury concerns, the Aggies were able to improve greatly on their turnover margin relative to their two previous games versus Air Force, committing only 10 while forcing the Falcons into 16 of their own.

“We had about five games, maybe six, gone down to the wire, and we’ve won probably five out of six games,” Finkbeiner said. “We have to figure out a way to win.”

The Aggies return to action Tuesday night against third-seeded UNLV at 9:30 MST at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.