Lady Aggies fall to Aztecs on last second shot
LOGAN – Utah State came into Wednesday night’s battle against San Diego State looking to get back into the win column after a loss at Fresno State last week.
And they nearly got the job done.
The clock read 8 seconds and the Aggies were up by 1 point. They looked destined to collect their third conference win. But Aztec guard Mercedes Staples had other plans. Kamaria Gipson found Staples under the basket and Staples laid it with .6 seconds remaining, handing the Aggies a 68-67 loss.
Shyla Latone, who was out for a week due to COVID-19 protocol, had a team-high 20 points. Adryana Quezada had 18.
Utah State got off to a slow start, going down 7-0. Coach Ard needed to mix something up, so Shyla Latone checked into the ballgame. Latone wasted no time whatsoever getting back into her groove. Within 11 seconds of subbing in, the guard drained a corner three to put the Aggies on the board. The Aggies were able to stay within striking distance and ended the first quarter down six.
In the second quarter, Latone then turned her game up a notch. After an Aztec three, Latone scored the next 7 points for the Aggies to deadlock the game at 21.
The Aggies had trouble containing Sophia Ramos and Mercedes Staples, allowing 3-pointers to both players. But before the Aztecs could cruise away, Latone sunk yet another three-pointer to put the game within three. The Aztecs entered the locker room winning 33-28.
In the third quarter, the Aggies were able to tie the ballgame at 38, following layups by Quezada and E’Lease Stafford. But it seemed like whenever the Aggies were able to tie the game, the Aztecs would go on a run that would extend their lead by two possessions. USU finally took a lead for an extended period of time after Randhawa made both of her free throws, and E’Lease Stafford made a driving layup.
The only way to characterize the fourth quarter would be neck-and-neck. With the clock reading 5:00 minutes, the Aggies were losing by five. Then Quezada took matters into her own hands.
She scored the next eight Aggie points to give them the 63-62 lead. Sophia Ramos got fouled with 36 seconds remaining and hit both free throws to give the lead back to the Aztecs. Utah State adhered to the famous adage, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and fed the ball to Quezada in the post.
Sophia Ramos came down to help on Quezada and plucked the ball from her. The steal seemed like the dagger, but it was stolen back by E’Lease Stafford who took the ball rim and laid it in to give USU a 65-64 lead.
Asia Avinger then attacked the rim and scored a layup to give the Aztecs a 66-65 lead with 16 seconds remaining. The Aggies gave the ball to their leader, Kaylin Randhawa, and told her to go to work; and that she did. With 8 seconds remaining, Randhawa drilled a jumper to give the Aggies the lead back.
With no timeouts, SDSU had to advance the ball the length of the court to win the game. Sophia Ramos escaped the Aggies’ pressure and passed the ball to Kamaria Gipson on the wing. Gipson attacked lightly and then found Mercedes Staples, the Centreville, Utah native, under the rim. It was as routine as it gets, and the Aggies fell.
Despite the losing effort, having Shyla Latone back in the lineup will help the Aggies’ offense facilitate in future games. Coach Ard agreed with the sentiment saying “she opens things up for us outside, which then opens things up for us inside, so huge to have her back.”
Latone was eager to get back on the court. “I was eager to get back on the court, and get back with my teammates,” she said.
Utah State will look to rebound against UNLV on Saturday night in the Spectrum.