Aggies prevail 82-75 against San Jose State
“This one is different,” USU Women’s Basketball head coach Wesley Brooks said after his Aggies’ 82-75 victory over San Jose State.
Might he be saying that because the team broke a seven-game losing streak and secured their first conference win at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum? That much is obvious.
However, there appeared an extra sense of triumph and satisfaction in the way he delivered his words during the postgame press conference.
“I’m proud of the team tonight,” Brooks said. “We’ve been close in the last couple [games], and finally to get one is really, really good. We’ll build and grow from this.”
This game against the Spartans was a tale of two halves, but not in the way typically seen from this Aggies team.
In many recent games, the Aggies would finish the first half either leading or within striking distance, only to lose their grip in the second half.
But in this game, Utah State struggled with fouls and rebounding in the first half, falling behind 43-36.
Brooks then made a defensive adjustment in the second half — an atypical move for his group — but one that paid off in the end.
“We took the press off,” Brooks said. “We played good half-court defense. When we did that, we forced them to score over us, which is what we wanted.”
The full-court press has been a staple of Brooks’ system since day one, but he recognized that his team was expending too much energy on it. By adjusting, he strengthened their performance on both ends of the court.
Then came one of the women’s team’s most dominant halves of the season.
Defensively, they held the Spartans to just 36% shooting, outrebounded them 21-14 and allowed only six free throws.
Offensively, they shot 58% from the field and 36% from three and took 18 free throws.
It will show up in the record books as only a seven-point win, but their second half performance was decisively superior to their opponent.
Two players on the Aggies’ side stood out above the rest.
Guard Cheyenne Stubbs erupted for a season-high 30 points and a career-high 16 free-throw attempts, with the Spartan defenders unable to find an answer for her. She has been a particularly lethal scorer over the past five games, averaging 21.8 points per game on an efficient 46% shooting from the field.
Guard Carlie Latta had an offensive explosion of her own, scoring 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from three. A first-year player from Paul, Idaho, Latta started the season as a bench player but has quickly blossomed into the Aggies’ top playmaker.
Last season, Stubbs shouldered the bulk of the offense and was often forced into taking a high volume of shots each game. This year, however, with Latta as the primary ball handler, Stubbs has been able to find her shots in a more natural rhythm.
“It’s just great being able to have somebody like that in the back court with me — just being able to have somebody like her who can handle the ball but also be able to be more aggressive,” Stubbs said.
Here are some of the other top contributors from the breakout win:
Forward Jamisyn Heaton: Despite committing six turnovers, Heaton filled the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.
Guard Mia Tarver: Similar to Heaton’s performance, Tarver filled it up with six points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
Center Sophie Sene: The box score leaves a bit to be desired, four points and eight rebounds, but Sene had the primary task of guarding the massive Spartan center Finau Tonga. Tonga led their offense with 14 points at halftime, but Sene limited her to just four points in the second half.
For now, the team gets to ride the high of adding to their win column, but another challenge lies ahead.
The Aggies will next face Nevada at the Spectrum on March 1 at 2 p.m. In their last matchup against the Wolfpack, they lost 78-69, a game that felt within reach but ultimately slipped away.
If Utah State wins this Saturday, they can tie their conference record with tenth-seeded San Jose State. Additionally, Nevada could potentially be the Aggies’ first-round opponent in the Mountain West Championship, based on the two teams’ current records.
“We have to rebound,” Brooks said. “Nevada is one of the more physical teams in the league, so we have to be able to match their physicality. If we do that, we’re going to be able to give ourselves a chance.”
Everything seems to be falling into place at the right moment for this team, and Brooks can see his squad rewriting their narrative by the end of the season.
“We can go out and play well Saturday — play well Tuesday,” Brooks said. “Then we get ready for a brand-new slate at the tournament and go make some March Madness.”