Aggie women open WAC play win against Boise State, but fall at home to Bulldogs
Aggies 69, Boise State 57
Scoring double-digit points in a matter of a few minutes on the basketball court is something that has happened before.
That’s not to say that it’s not impressive when it does.
Reminiscent of her 12-point flurry in the final three minutes of a furious late-game comeback victory Dec. 4 at Northern Arizona, super-sub Devyn Christensen scored 10 points in two-and-a-half minutes, and calmly sank seven of eight free throws in a still-in-doubt contest, as a part of her 21 total points to help the Aggies (7-7, 1-0 WAC) storm out of the conference gate Thursday with a 69-57 home win over Boise State (9-5, 0-1), whose shooting performance at the Spectrum was just about as ice-cold as the frigid Logan winter.
Not that Utah State didn’t have anything to do with that. Behind a school record-tying eight blocks from 6-foot-6 center Banna Diop, the Aggies notched a school-record 14 rejections during the entire game.
Diop’s blocks equaled a school-record set by Jill Swainston from 1987 vs. Northern Colorado. The Aggies’ total tally topped the previous school record of 11, which was set twice last year vs. North Dakota State and San Jose State.
As for the scoring spree? According to the spark plug herself, nobody should be too impressed.
“(The scoring splurges) are not something I plan on doing, it’s something I happen to do in the flow of the game,” Christensen said. “Tonight, I was just fortunate enough to finish shots.”
It’s just a matter of taking advantage of what the defense offers, she said.
Despite Christensen’s hot hand,coach Raegan Pebley said her recent defensive play has been just as important a tool in improving to 3-9 against the Broncos since Utah State joined the WAC in 2005.
“(Christensen) has been much more focused on the defensive end,” said the ninth-year coach. “Her valued role on the defensive end showed that she’s improving in many aspects of her game.”
The defensive effort stonewalled the Broncos, especially for the majority of the first half.
Following a 4-4 tie two minutes into the game, the Broncos went more than 10 minutes without a single point, getting outscored 14-0 by the Aggies during that time while tallying a less-than-impressive 2-19 effort from the field, the main catalyst to a paltry 23 percent first-half performance.
Though BSU heated up slightly in the second half, they capped the game shooting below 32 percent, including a pathetic 3-24 from three-point range.
Star Bronco guard Kati Isham nearly willed her team back into the game, scoring 15 second-half points on 6-11 shooting to once bring BSU within single digits at 46-38 with 8:39 to go.
But Diop, whose near-triple double (12 points, 12 rebounds, besides the eight blocks) buoyed USU throughout the game, scored on a drop-step the very next possession before Christensen went to work, starting with a one-woman fast break before curling around her opponent for an off-balance and-one three-point play the next possession, followed by a deep three that preceded yet another driving score after faking to take a screen on a pick-and-roll.
It is a spark that doesn’t surprise fellow wing player Amber White, who followed Christensen on the board with 14 points.
“I don’t think anybody on the team is surprised by (Christensen’s play),” White said. “It’s encouraging that she has two years (of eligibility) still.”
The unexpected surprises from the sophomore might cause the Aggies to collectively become quite a rude alarm clock to several conference foes.
“To get a win over every team always feels good,” White said. “I think we have sent message to the rest of the conference.”
Fresno State 79, Aggies 69
They shot more than 80 percent from the free-throw line, out-rebounded an opponent that usually dominates the glass, provided one of their highest scoring outputs of the season thus far and shot the fourth-highest field goal percentage in 15 games.
Yet, all these high marks were not enough for the Utah State women (7-8, 1-1 WAC) to stop Fresno State (10-5, 1-0) and their ongoing 19-game WAC regular-season streak, the third longest in the conference’s history, in Logan Saturday
After trailing 34-32 at intermission, the Bulldogs poured it on in the second half, shooting 55 percent from the field for 47 points as diminutive guard Taylor Thompson, who had shot just 25 percent from 3-point land heading into the game, scorched the Aggies by going 5-9 from long range to lead the Bulldogs with 21 points, along with four steals.
Reigning WAC Player of the Year Jaleesa Ross also hit four bombs on the evening as part of a 12-point outing, while double-figure scorer Rosie Moult, fresh off a perfect 6-6 effort from distance in FSU’s previous game against UC-Riverside, hit two more in the second half to add to a three-steal effort as Fresno pulled away with a 17-4 run in less than six minutes early in the second half to break a 40-all tie.
Aggie head coach Raegen Pebley was less than pleased with her team’s lackluster showing to begin the second half as USU relinquished a lead that they had held for all but 12 seconds of the game’s first 23 minutes.
Pebley said during the first 8-10 minutes of the second half, there were several critical factors missing for the Aggies to deal Fresno their first WAC loss in nearly two years. The Bulldogs last lost a WAC game March 2, 2009, to Louisiana Tech.
“The leadership and effort wasn’t as strong (as the first half),” she said. “I expect more the rest of the season.”
While acknowledging that Fresno’s defensive was quite active and aggressive, Pebley said that shouldn’t have stopped USU from carrying out the principles that have helped them set several single-game records this season.
“We let things bother us,” she said. “We didn’t execute and do the little things we needed to have happen. They did pick up their effort defensively, but what we used to counter … how do I say this for the newspapers … we did not execute very well.”
Though the Aggies led for the majority of the game against a team that has made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, Pebley said that she did not see many bright spots from the loss.
“I expect victory,” she said. “I expect us to win, so I’m not going to take any moral victories.”
USU takes its 1-1 conference mark to Reno to face Nevada this coming Saturday at 3 p.m.
– rhett.wilkinson@aggiemail.usu.edu