Aggie women sweep road trip, prepare for home game against defending champs
The Utah State women’s basketball team concluded its two-game road trip with a win over Louisiana Tech 79-62 on Saturday.
Junior guard Devyn Christensen led all scorers with 20 points, and the Aggies never trailed the Lady Techsters.
“I am really proud of how (Christensen) played,” head coach Raegan Pebley said. “She bailed us out in several shot-clock situations but gave up the ball in some difficult situations and trusted her teammates.”
Christensen got going early, scoring USU’s first five points and 14 of the first 19 points. The Caldwell, Idaho, native finished the first half with 17 points, eventually finishing 7 of 10 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line.
The Lady Techsters struggled with shooting in the first half. On two different three-minute occasions, Louisinana Tech did not score, and the Aggies blew the game open with a 15-5 run during a seven-minute span.
Christensen put USU ahead 38-23 with a minute remaining in the first half on a fast-break layup.
Louisiana Tech finished the first half shooting 27.8 percent from the field and was scoreless from beyond the arc on six attempts.
Christensen’s third 3-pointer of the night put Utah State up by 16 early in the second half. When the lead grew to 20, Pebley pulled the WAC’s second-ranked free-throw shooter.
The Aggies didn’t skip a beat, however, and the defense disrupted Louisiana Tech all night.
Pebley said it was a great team effort.
“Our team is playing great collectively,” Pebley said. “It’s been huge for us. They are sharing the ball well and doing the little things.”
Seniors Ashlee Brown and Brooke Jackson each added 17 points for Utah State and the Aggies converted on 61.5 percent of their 3-point attempts en route to the win.
The win was a milestone for Pebley; her 100th career win at Utah State in eight seasons at the helm. The road sweep against New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech was a first for the Aggie women.
USU improved to 11-5 on the year with the win and 2-0 in conference play. Louisiana Tech dropped to 8-9 and 1-1 in WAC play.
Utah State returns to the Spectrum for a two-game home stand Jan. 19 and 21.
The Aggies host the Fresno State Bulldogs Jan. 19 in a contest between the WAC’s top two teams. The Bulldogs currently hold a 13-4 record and are 1-0 on conference play, after defeating Nevada on Saturday.
Fresno State is led by sophomore guard Ki-Ki Moore, who averages 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Junior forward Rosie Moult, who averages 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, is the only other player to average double figures for the Bulldogs.
As a team, FSU leads the WAC in scoring offense at 74.6 points per game, scoring margin at 7.6 points per game, assists per game at 17.2 and steals per game at 11.2.
The Bulldogs have won two-straight games — eight of their last nine — with their most recent setback a two-point loss at UNLV on Jan. 6.
“It’s going to be a battle,” Pebley said. “(The Bulldogs) are the queens of the court right now in our conference, and we are going to have to prepare well.”
– curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu