Aggies to face Lady Techsters in semifinal round of WAC championship
LAS VEGAS — With its win over Nevada in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday, the Utah State women’s basketball team advanced to face Louisiana Tech on Friday in the semifinals.
“We’re going to attack La. Tech,” senior forward Ashlee Brown said after the game against Nevada. “You know they’re going to bring it, and we’re going to bring it. They’re going to scout, and we’re going to scout. Regardless of today’s stats, I’m looking forward to La. Tech.”
Third-seeded Louisiana Tech is coming off of a 63-54 first-round win against sixth-seeded Hawaii, despite two players reaching double digits in scoring. Senior guard Jasmine Bendolph scored a game-high 20 points, and senior forward Shantale Bramble-Donaldson finished with 13.
The Aggies and Lady Techsters will meet for the third time this season after splitting the regular season meetings. Utah State came out on top 79-62 on Jan. 14 in Ruston, La., — head coach Raegan Pebley’s 100th career win at the helm. Louisiana Tech got revenge in Logan, as the Techsters overcame a six-point deficit in the final three and a half minutes for an 82-76 victory.
“Our side of the bracket has teams with tournament experience,” Pebley said. “La. Tech is one of those teams.”
According to NCAA Statistics, Utah State finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the country in 3-point field-goal percentage at 39.2 percent. The Aggies are also ranked fifth nationally in free-throw percentage at 78.9 percent.
Junior guard Devyn Christensen, ranked No. 4 in the country, leads the Aggies in free-throw shooting at 90 percent, and fellow guard Brooke Jackson is No. 11 at 88.8 percent. Against Nevada, senior forward Ashlee Brown set the single-season school record for free throws made and became the eighth player from Utah State to reach the 500-rebound mark for her career.
“Ashlee (Brown) has invested into the development on the defensive end in her off-ball offense and off-ball defense,” Pebley said. “I think what makes her such a successful defender is her off-ball defense. We put a lot of responsibility on her to make sure that she is helping us get it done. I am really proud of her.”
Overall, Utah State is 2-13 against La. Tech with road wins in 2009 and this season. Utah State is 0-1 against La. Tech in the WAC Tournament, suffering an 82-65 loss to the Lady Techsters in the quarterfinals in 2009.
The Aggies will look to win their fourth WAC Tournament game ever, as USU is 3-6 all-time in after Wednesday’s victory over Nevada. Utah State has won its first-round game in three of the past four seasons and has never made the final game.
Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday.
– curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu