Aggie women complete their end of Wolf Pack sweep in Reno
The Utah State women’s basketball team picked up a win Thursday night on the road at Nevada. USU sophomore guard Devyn Christensen finished the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds, earning her a double-double in her second career start.
“It’s really hard to win on the road in our conference, so to get a win in Nevada is pretty special,” said Utah State head coach Raegan Pebley. The Aggies beat the Wolf Pack for the second time this season with a score of 79-73.
Utah State scored the first points of the game with a layup by Jenna Johnson but Nevada quickly retaliated with a three. The Aggies led for the next 10 minutes; however, Nevada kept it close holding USU to a four-point margin.
The Wolf Pack tied the game with a free throw from Kayla Williams and took the lead with two later free throws, also from Williams. From then on, the lead changed four times before the Aggies scored the last seven points of the half.
The final push came as time expired in the first half when Christensen hit a 3 and was sent to the line where she drilled the free throw completing the four-point play.
The Aggies defense was the key to their first half success, forcing the Wolf Pack to turn the ball over 17 times in the game and creating valuable opportunities for Utah State. “Our defense did a great job of fueling our offense,” Pebley said.
Utah State came out strong in the second half, once again scoring the first points. They continued their dominance to a game-high lead with freshman guard Jennifer Schlott’s layup to put the Aggies up by 14.
The Aggies fought off Nevada for the rest of the game despite a strong effort from the Wolf Pack, who cut the Aggies lead to six with 23 seconds to go. USU finished the game with a six point lead.
“I’m very happy for the whole team,” Pebley said of the win. The Aggies finished the game shooting 53 percent from the field in their third-straight Western Athletic Conference win. Christensen’s 19 points lead the Aggies. Schlott and senior guard Alice Coddington also finished in double figures for USU and sophomore center Banna Diop had an impressive five blocks in the game.
Pebley particularly noted the work of her guards.
“Our perimeter players, our guards, did a great job of getting to the rim and creating lay-ups,” she said. “It’s that kind of push that helps you win games.”
Christensen’s 11 rebounds mark her season-high and her double-double was the first of her career. She’s one of the Aggies that has stepped up in Ashlee Brown’s absence. Brown has missed the past two games due to an injury.
The Aggies are on the road for one more game, traveling to Boise on Saturday, Feb. 5 to face the Boise State Broncos. Their record is now 11-10 and 5-3 in WAC play. Nevada dropped to 14-7 and 3-5 in conference play with the loss.
– meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu