Aggie trio keys win in weekend split
Led by the duo of seniors Devyn Christensen and Jenna Johnson and junior Jennifer Schlott, the Utah State women’s basketball team split its pair of weekend games with a thrilling double-overtime win against Denver and a loss to New Mexico State.
New Mexico 106, Utah State 94
Putting its eight game win streak on the line, the Utah State women’s basketball team was in Las Cruces Saturday night taking on New Mexico State in the battle of the Aggies. Unable to rebound from a slow start to the second half, USU fell 106-94, snapping its winning streak.
“You have to give credit to New Mexico State. They were waiting for us,” said head coach Finkbeiner. “It was a lion’s den and they came out and kind of just ran us off the floor. Our tongues were hanging out by the end of the game. It was a well played game from their perspective.”
The Aggies were looking to break the school record for most consecutive wins in a season but came just short against NMSU. With the loss, USU falls to 14-11 on the season and 11-3 in conference play. The loss coupled with a Seattle win means the Aggies fall from first place in the WAC behind the Redhawks.
Senior Devyn Christensen had a good all-around game with 23 points and seven rebounds. Junior Jennifer Schlott had 18 and sophomore Franny Vaaulu chipped in with 16 points.
Stefanie Gillbreath of New Mexico State had a double-double and led all scorers with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Teammate Kelsie Rozendaal also had a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards.
It was a tough night defensively for the Aggies as NMSU was able to out rebound them and scored 27 second-chance points.
Utah State 92, Denver 89 2OT
Both the men and women’s basketball teams were in action on Valentines Day, but the day of love was only friendly to one of them. While the men lost an overtime thriller at the buzzer, the women did exactly the opposite as senior Devyn Christensen hit the game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Aggies 92-89 over Denver in the Mile High City.
“It was a hard fought game and we have had a few of these this year, and I’m really proud of the girls,” Finkbeiner said.
Christensen drained the game winner with two seconds remaining in the second overtime to secure the win and run USU’s streak to eight straight wins. It was the Aggies’ fifth overtime game of the season. They are now 4-1 in those games.
After starting the season at 2-8 USU has got on a hot streak and have improved to 14-10 and 11-2 in the WAC. The eight straight wins ties the school record for most in a season. The Aggies also maintain their lead atop of the WAC standings.
The Aggies were led by their three-headed monster of Christensen, senior Jenna Johnson and junior Jennifer Schlott. Johnson poured in a career-high 28 points and Schlott finished with 27 before fouling out in the first overtime. Christensen chipped in with 21 points.
“Those three stand out in the stat sheet, but I would have to give credit to Elise Nelson and Pualei Furtado,” Finkbeiner said. “If it weren’t for those two girls, we wouldn’t have had a chance to win in the second overtime.”
USU will take on Louisiana Tech and UT Arlington on Saturday, March 2 for senior night. Both games are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
– jborba@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @jborba15