Bassett etched into record book as Aggies fall to Boise State
The Utah State University women’s basketball team lost a heartbreaker against the defending Mountain West Conference champion Boise State Broncos 65-59 on Saturday afternoon. The loss dropped the Aggies to 5-13 on the season and 0-7 in Mountain West play.
In the first quarter, Utah State attempted to win inside, with 10 of its 13 shots coming from the paint. Despite the emphasis on post play, senior forward Hailey Bassett was relatively quiet, going one-for-three from the field and grabbing just one rebound. No one on the team could really get it going in the quarter and Boise took a 21-10 lead into the second.
One for the record books
At the beginning of the second quarter, it looked as though Boise was going to maintain its lead. The two teams traded baskets for the first seven minutes, and neither team gained an edge in the period. However, with three minutes left in the half, the Aggies caught fire and the Broncos went cold. During the stretch, senior-forward Lindsey Jensen-Baker and sophomore guard Steph Gorman outscored the Broncos 10-2. Over the entirety of the second quarter, the Aggies outscored the Broncos 21-12 and had all the momentum going into halftime.
The Broncos put up the first points in the third quarter, but the Aggies came out with a vengeance and went on a 10-0 run after the Boise score, which gave them a 42-35 lead. Bassett made history in that stretch, becoming the tenth Aggie to reach 1,000 career points. Despite the Aggies’ run, however, the Broncos pushed back with a 10-2 run to end the quarter, giving them a 47-44 lead.
Aggies battle to tie it up
The Broncos increased their lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, outscoring the Aggies 5-2 in the first two-and-a-half minutes. Despite the Broncos lead, the Aggies — especially senior forward Marlene Aniambossou — were not prepared to hand their opponents the game. With a pair of free throws from Bassett and a three from Gorman, the Aggies cut the lead to four. The real turning point, however, was when Aniambossou was called for a foul after being thrown to the ground on a borderline block by Boise State’s redshirt junior Mallory McGwire. However, she did not complain to the ref and, on Boise’s next possession, drew a charge, putting the ball back into Utah State’s hands. Aniambossou then posted up on McGwire on the other end of the court and was fouled on a shot. She made both free throws, bringing the Aggies to within two. On the next series, she stole the ball with 3:30 left in the game and converted on a layup on the other end. The score was tied at 55-55.
Broncos scoring run seals the win
This ended a two-minute stretch that was dominated by Aniambossou, and with 2:06 left in the game, Jensen-Baker made a layup to cap off a 9-0 run from her team and a 57-55 lead over the Broncos. However, the lead was short-lived.
A 3-pointer by Boise State put the Aggies in a 58-57 point hole, and while briefly retook the lead, the Broncos went on a 10-2 run of their own to end the game, handing Utah State a 65-59 loss.
As a team, the Aggies shot 37.3% from the field and 16.7% from behind the arc. With those percentages, it is hard to win games- yet they almost did. Utah State nearly overcame its shooting woes with 11 offensive rebounds and nine second-chance points, but it was not enough. The loss to Boise State extended the Aggies’ losing streak to six games and left them winless in the conference.