Aggies defeat UC Irvine with the help of hundreds of cheering elementary school kids

Thursday morning, USU’s women’s basketball took on UC Irvine in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The game stood out among others due to several elementary schools in attendance, bringing hundreds of cheering grade-schoolers.

“I leaned over to my assistant coach and said, ‘I might play 11 o’clock for the rest of the year if we have these kids in the stands,’” said head coach Jerry Finkbeiner.

Sophomore guard Rachel Brewster agreed the young crowd aided in the Aggies’ successful afternoon.

“They brought so much energy to the game,” Brewster said.

Brewster finished the game strong, contributing a team-high 16 points. The game concluded with a Utah State win, with the Aggies totaling 66 points to UCI’s 52. Every shot USU made was immediately followed by uproarious cheers from the youthful audience.

“It was really fun to play in something like that and I wish it was like that every game,” said freshman guard Jessie Geer.

By the end of the first period, Utah State had 24 points to UC Irvine’s 10. Despite holding a consistent lead throughout the game, Brewster felt there is still room to improve.

“Personally, I’m never really 100 percent happy with my games, there’s always something that I think I can improve on,” Brewster said. “But I think this win was 100 percent a team win.”

Brewster’s vocal support of her entire Aggie squad was echoed by several teammates, as well as her coach.

“This team is more of a ‘team first’,” Finkbeiner said. “It’s been my fifth year here, but it’s the first year that I’ve had a group of women come in that are selfless kids that enjoy being around each other.”

“Everyone on the team has their roles,” Greer added. “I think it’s about learning to accept your role and when it’s your time to go out, just give 100 percent because you always want to be giving your best, no matter how long your play is.”