Aggies push Nevada to overtime, fall short on Senior Night

Utah State pushed Nevada to the final possession on Senior Night, but a late overtime scramble ended in a 72-69 Wolf Pack win at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

Playing with a thin frontcourt, the Aggies were beaten badly on the glass — 51-35 — yet stayed within striking distance by limiting the damage from Nevada’s extra possessions. The Wolf Pack grabbed 18 offensive rebounds but scored just six second-chance points. Utah State also kept itself afloat with efficient shooting — 7-of-15 from three and 18-of-24 at the free-throw line — and an aggressive defensive effort that forced 16 turnovers and turned them into 17 points.

“I was really proud of us,” said sophomore guard Elise Livingston. “I thought we fought really hard. I was proud of the effort, and I thought we battled.”

Nevada controlled much of the first quarter with its interior defense and early rim protection, building a 16-12 lead after one. The Wolf Pack extended the margin in the second quarter, and when Nevada went up 29-16 with 4:59 left in the half, the game appeared to be slipping away.

Utah State’s response ignited the crowd. Livingston hit a fastbreak three, Karyn Sanford began attacking downhill in transition and Jamisyn Heaton added a late three as the Aggies surged back.

Livingston’s three with 10 seconds left gave Utah State its first lead, capping a 17-2 run over the final four minutes and sending the Aggies into halftime ahead 33-31.

Head coach Wesley Brooks credited the comeback to his team’s resilience and belief, even as he acknowledged the limitations of his rotation.

“We have a healthy culture,” Brooks said. “We might not have enough players yet … but we have healthy culture. There are a lot of teams in America right now who would have just quit at that point, and we’re not going to do that because people believe in what we’re doing.”

Utah State briefly built on the momentum early in the third quarter, pushing its lead to 45-37 after a Sanford three and a run sparked by ball movement and transition pressure. Nevada answered with a run of its own, and the quarter turned choppy as both teams traded whistles and momentum swings.

The Wolf Pack retook control late, finishing the quarter on top 55-49 after a late three.

The fourth quarter tightened into a defensive grind, and Aaliyah Gayles carried Utah State’s push. She scored nine of her 15 points in the final period, including a steal-and-layup and multiple strong finishes to cut into Nevada’s lead.

With the Aggies down 65-60 late, Livingston hit a critical three out of a timeout, curling off a screen and drilling it with 47 seconds left to make it 65-63. Utah State then got a stop and had a chance to tie but needed help to get there.

Nevada missed two free throws with 3.1 seconds left, Heaton secured the rebound and Nevada committed a foul after the misses — sending Heaton to the line. She hit both to tie it 65-65 with three seconds left, and Nevada’s last-second heave missed to force overtime.

Livingston, who finished with 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting, 4-of-8 from three and 5-of-7 at the line, played all 45 minutes.

“Sometimes I don’t even realize it,” Livingston said. “I’m just like, next play, next play. I never try and get too high or too low.”

In overtime, Nevada’s size and Utah State’s fatigue began to show. Heaton fouled out with 2:47 remaining, and Nevada’s Skylar Durley hit two short jumpers in the final two minutes — including a banked fading shot with 31 seconds left — to push the Wolf Pack ahead 72-67.

Utah State still had one last chance. Sanford missed twice at the rim but kept the play alive with offensive rebounds, then found Livingston for a layup plus the foul with 1.8 seconds left.

Livingston intentionally missed the free throw, Utah State controlled the rebound and officials reset the clock after it failed to start properly, giving the Aggies a baseline inbound for a final shot.

Livingston caught the inbound in the corner but was met by a taller Wolf Pack defender on the closeout. Rather than force a contested three, she tried to throw the ball off the defender to earn another inbound. The horn sounded before the deflection went out of bounds, ending the game.

Brooks said Utah State’s competitiveness late in the season has been driven by its attitude and effort, even as the Aggies have struggled to match opponents physically with limited depth.

“We’re losing on the margins,” Brooks said. “They beat us on the rebounding … but we battled, and that’s all I can ask.”

Utah State got 14 points from Heaton, 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists from Sanford, and 15 points from Gayles, who was forced to the bench late after fouling out in regulation.

The Aggies now turn to the Mountain West tournament, where they will face No. 6 Grand Canyon at 8:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, March 7.

“Now it’s March tournament time — you throw all the records out the window,” Brooks said. “One game at a time.”