Aggies lose another close game against Air Force
“I know it’s a broken record — I know it’s Groundhog Day — but we’re going to get there, and I’m proud of our team.”
This is what head coach Wesley Brooks had to say after the USU Women’s Basketball team lost to the Air Force Falcons 82-77.
At this point, the Aggies’ game recaps this season practically write themselves. Nearly every game follows the same pattern: The team starts strong, the opponent mounts a comeback and the Aggies —struggling as a second-half team — lose ground and make costly mistakes.
Several recurring flaws have contributed to the team’s struggles. Defensively, they excel at forcing turnovers but struggle to close out on shooters and secure rebounds. On offense, they generate quality shot opportunities but often make careless passes and dribble into traffic.
It’s easy to forget this team is still young and gaining experience. Aside from star senior Cheyenne Stubbs, the roster is dominated by underclassmen, with several first-year players logging significant minutes.
“We always hear that from year one to year two, the game slows down,” Brooks said. “So, the game will start to slow down for us as these freshmen get older.”
Aside from the common issues with turnovers and fouls, Utah State had an impressive offensive performance. Cheyenne Stubbs led the way with 20 points, knocking down four three-pointers, including some tough shots against strong defense. Forward Jamisyn Heaton dominated in the low post, scoring 20 points on an efficient 8-for-10 shooting. Forward Taliyah Logwood battled foul trouble once again, limiting her to just 19 minutes, but she still managed to contribute a solid stat line of 14 points, six rebounds and two steals.
On the defensive side, the Aggies held the rebounding edge in the first half but lost it in the second, largely because two of their top rebounders Heaton and Logwood were sidelined with foul trouble.
Center Sophie Sene held down the fort with a career-high 16 rebounds, but without the Aggies’ other top rebounders on the floor, her efforts weren’t enough.
“I’m so proud of Sophie,” Brooks said. “She had 16 rebounds. That’s big time, man. Big time effort.”
Aside from a few standout performances, it was more of the same for the 2-24 Aggies. Winning becomes difficult when a team commits 18 turnovers, racks up 18 fouls and allows 52 combined points from two opposing players — Air Force’s Madison Smith and Keelie O’Hollaren.
Moving forward, Utah State must find a way to stop the bleeding when opponents go on scoring runs. They’re the kind of team that can start a game with an 11-2 run but then give up an 18-5 run, losing momentum as quickly as they gained it.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” Stubbs said. “When we have our run, we can’t let up because the other team is going to fight hard. Especially Air Force — that’s a team that can run all day long.”
The clock is ticking for the Aggies to learn from their mistakes. With only four games remaining before the Mountain West Basketball Championships in Las Vegas, the team continues to battle in hopes of turning things around.
“We have nothing to lose at this rate,” Stubbs said. “I think that there is probably a little bit of urgency, but I just don’t feel like we have a lot of pressure. It’s going to be what it’s going to be at the end of the day.”
For the first-year coach Brooks, the growth his team has shown over the past few months has been significant, and he certainly doesn’t want to see it go to waste.
“This team has not given up,” Brooks said. “They keep competing — they keep fighting. It gives us a chance to spend a few days in Vegas.”
Utah State will be hoping for a victory in their next game on Feb. 22 when they face the New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque.