Aggie women drop first conference game vs Fresno State
The USU Women’s basketball team traveled to California to take on the Fresno State Bulldogs Wednesday night in an inter-conference match up. In a game that was closely contested throughout, the Bulldogs prevailed by a score of 70-59, using a strong third quarter to pull away.
Coming into the game, each team boasted a 2-0 record in conference play. The first half was very close through its entirety. Fresno State held the lead by a slim margin of three after the first quarter, but the Aggies would make a 2nd quarter push to retake the lead by three heading into the halftime break.
What hurt the Aggies the most throughout the first quarter was their turnovers. They turned the ball over four times, to the Bulldogs one. Junior forward Shannon Dufficy was able to chip in with six point to keep the Aggies within striking distance, however.
The second quarter was full of opportunity for the Aggies however. In the quarter, Fresno State turned the ball over six times in total. The Aggies used a plus-six shot differential in the second quarter to regain the lead going into the break.
Through the first half both teams used a rather balanced scoring attack as no player reached double digits and each team had seven players break into the scoring column.
It seemed as if the Bulldogs made all of the right adjustments coming out of the break as they used a third quarter burst to separate themselves from the Aggies. Senior guard Candice White erupted for 14 points in the third quarter, and the Aggies could not find an answer. Tied at 31, Fresno State went on a 10-2 run in which White scored eight consecutive points.
The closest the game would get after that run was five points. The fourth quarter saw Fresno State’s lead balloon to 15 at one point.
Overall, Shannon Dufficy was one of the bright spots for Utah State as she posted yet another double-double, her eighth of the season. The entire game was filled with opportunities for the Aggies, but they simply had a poor shooting night, shooting just 35% from the field and 30% from three.
The Aggies will look to right the ship and stay in the top of the conference as they face the Wyoming Cowgirls on Saturday at 2 p.m.