Aggie women defeat UC Riverside, earn first postseason win since 2011
The Utah State women’s basketball team wasn’t ready to call it a season, and in their first postseason win since 2011, the Aggies handled UC Riverside in California on Wednesday, 68-60.
“It was sad to think that the season was over, so being invited to (the Women’s Basketball Invitational) is really good for us; it keeps us playing,” said guard Eliza West.
And in the first half, USU came out looking like a team who knew their season was on the line, quickly jumping out to a nine-point lead in the first quarter.
UC Riverside was able to recover, however, and USU scored only two points in the final five minutes of the period, and the quarter ended tied at 11.
The Aggie offense was revitalized following the break, and a 25-point second quarter explosion by Utah State gave them a 16-point advantage, 36-20, at the game’s halfway mark.
USU’s dominant quarter was followed by one from the Scotty Highlanders, though, and a 28-point UC Riverside third period, which put them just five-points behind, made for a competitive finish to the loser-go-home contest.
“We just made silly errors offensively, and so they just chipped away at (the lead),” West said.
UC Riverside crept within four after a three went in with 7:17 remaining in the game, but Utah State was able to stave off the attempted comeback, winning 69-60.
Mid-game adjustments to USU’s defensive game plan helped slow the Scotty Highlanders after their scorching third quarter.
“Zone helped us a little bit and then we backed off our press eventually, also, which — our press got us the lead, but in the end it also caused too many fouls,” said assistant coach Ben Finkbeiner. “So a lot of it was realigning our defense to take care of what they were doing which was getting to the basket.”
The Aggies benefited from strong performances by Shannon Dufficy, who had a double-double with 20-points and 10-rebounds; and West, who finished with 12-points and nine of USU’s 12 total assists.
West was excited about the win, especially for her teammates who are seniors.
“It’s good for Rachel (Brewster) and Deja (Mason), I think, so they’re not completely done yet,”West said. “It gives us another opportunity to win something for them, so hopefully we can keep going on with it.”
The postseason success has wider implications for USU women’s basketball as a whole, as well.
“To get a road win in the postseason is just huge for our program,” Finkbeiner said.
Utah State will face a familiar foe in the next round in North Texas. In their previous meeting this season in December, the Aggies beat the Mean Green 57-41. Their second-go-round with the team will be played in Denton, Texas, on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.