Aggie women escape NMSU
The USU women’s basketball team had to grit it out, but the Aggies capitalized on New Mexico State’s rough first half to take the 57-45 victory in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday.
A trio of northern Aggies scored in double figures, but it was USU’s collective effort to score in the paint that made the difference.
“Our transition is a key to our game,” USU junior guard Jenna Johnson said. “Our transition is a key to everything. When we get steals and we are getting layups, it fuels our offense every single time.”
Points in the paint didn’t come easy against the Western Athletic Conference leaders in rebounding.
“I felt like we had to work really hard to get it down there,” USU head coach Raegan Pebley said. “Considering all the O-boards (NMSU) got down there, that is a testament to some of our bigs. They’re a long team. They are the best rebounding team in our conference.”
With the exception of USU’s three 3-pointers and 10 points from the free-throw line, everyone of its points came inside the paint. USU also notched 18 assists on 25 made baskets.
“(That’s) a good approach to sharing the ball,” Pebley said.
Both teams struggled to score in the opening minutes before New Mexico State hit the first shot two minutes into the contest. Johnson, who led the team with 11 points and six assists, ended the scoring drought with a layup on the ensuing possession.
A free throw from senior forward Tabytha Wampler, who led New Mexico State with 12 points and seven rebounds, tied the game at 6-all before USU went on a 10-2 run capped by a layup from Brooke Jackson.
Neither team was able to hit from 3-point range all night. USU finished the game shooting 3 of 16 for 18 percent while New Mexico State shot 4 of 23 for 17 percent.
“Everyone has off nights and this was ours,” Johnson said. “We’ll get in the gym, and we’ll get shots up to get ready for next week’s game.”
USU’s Ashlee Brown, the team leader in nearly every statistical category, played through a nearly debilitating migraine to finish with seven points and 10 rebounds.
“She was suffering a severe migraine right before the game where she couldn’t even really see,” Pebley said. “We didn’t think she was going to play, and it was a game-time decision.”
Pebley said she let Brown choose five minutes before tipoff if she could play.
“We subbed her in and out a lot to see how she would do,” Pebley said. “I loved how she really dug deep, and her teammates were there to back her up. To be in a game where there’s whistles and screaming and the lights — that’s tremendous.”
USU held a 27-18 lead at halftime, and the northern Aggies used a 12-5 run to gain their largest lead of the game at 39-23 four minutes into the half.
New Mexico State junior guard Camila Rosen cut the lead 40-33 with a 3-pointer with 12 minutes remaining in the game.
USU built its lead back up to double digits in the final minutes and led by at least nine the remainder of the game.
– ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu