Christensen drops 20 to propel Aggies over Spartans
It took a team effort, but the Utah State women’s basketball team got it done on Senior Night.
Five different players finished in double figures in scoring as the Aggies posted an 84-71 win over San Jose State in the regular season finale Saturday.
“It’s hard to win on Senior Night,” head coach Raegan Pebley said. “Both teams have so much that they’re playing for. I’m really proud of our team in just staying composed, staying poised and confident. Our kids, this win is all on them.”
Junior guard Devyn Christensen paced the scoring for Utah State with 20 points and sparked an early run that gave USU the momentum and advantage. Trailing 4-2, 30 seconds into the game, the Western Athletic Conference’s leading scorer recorded eight points during a 15-0 run, as San Jose went more than six minutes without scoring.
Christensen scored 13 points in the first half, and junior guard Jenna Johnson added nine as the Aggie defense forced 17 Spartan turnovers en route to a 41-29 lead at intermission.
Four turnovers were steals by Johnson, who recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The 5-foot-10 Alaska native finished with six steals to go along with five assists and three blocks in 34 minutes of play.
“(Johnson) was all over it,” Brown said. “Jenna’s been huge. When she plays aggressive, we all work off her. Jenna is the heart of the team, she’s a good player — hands down one of my favorite players to play with.”
San Jose State didn’t go away quietly.
The Spartans came out of the locker room and stormed back by way of a 9-0 run during the first two and a half minutes of the second half. Freshman guard Ta’rea Cunnigan scored five points during the stretch, including a 3-pointer, to cut the deficit to three at 41-38.
After senior guard Brooke Jackson hit a free throw for the Aggies, Cunnigan pulled the Spartans within two on a jumper in the lane. One minute later, senior center Myesha Broaden made it a one-point contest with a layup off of a USU turnover.
With the offense having managed two field goals in the second half, Jackson and sophomore guard Jennifer Schlott stepped up for the Aggies. Jackson hit a 3-pointer from the wing for a five-point lead, and Schlott added two 3-pointers during the next two minutes as Utah State stretched its lead to eight with seven and a half minutes to play.
Jackson and Schlott each finished with 15 points in the game, and Jackson hit her second 3-pointer of the night to give the Aggies an 11-point lead with five and a half minutes to play. Jackson added a pair of free throws with a little more than three minutes left to put the game out of reach for the Spartans.
Utah State dished out 21 assists on 26 field goals and overcame 12 second-half turnovers. The Aggies out-rebounded the Spartans 45-32 — including 18 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second-chance points.
With the win, USU finished the season 20-8 overall and 11-3 in WAC play. Both marks break school records for wins in a season — the 20 wins break the record for overall wins set by last year’s team with 18, and the 11 conference wins break last year’s mark of 10.
“It’s been a great season for us,” Johnson said. “It’s been a strong week for us getting ready for the WAC. We just have to prepare for next week. It’s going to be a battle, starting on Wednesday.”
The Aggies will face the Nevada Wolf Pack in the first round of the WAC Tournament on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
– curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu