Lady hoopsters still struggling
The closest game of the break for the Utah State women’s basketball team came in their final game of the three-week rest from classes, as the Aggies lost 60-58 to the Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday at the Spectrum.
The Aggies weathered a 13-3 first half run by the Bulldogs and went on a 19-4 run of their own in the second half to take a 43-42 lead with 10:32 left in the game.
The Aggies would also lead 58-57 with 3:10 left in the game, but they wouldn’t capitalize on any of their remaining shots as jump shots and lay-ups were missed whether a hand was in their face or not.
With nine seconds remaining, Fresno’s Mirenda Swearengin made one of two free throws to put the Bulldogs up two points.
Taylor Richards drove the length of the floor and put up a leaner that bounced off the side of the rim.
Contact was made but no foul was called as the clock ran out, leaving Utah State Head Coach Raegan Pebley with her hands in the air looking at the refs as they ran to the locker room.
Richards didn’t start for the first time in her Utah State career – and maybe in her life – but she finished with eight assists and eight points while only turning the ball over twice. Coming off Richards’ zero points and seven-turnover performance against San Jose State, Pebley said she made a game-time decision on who would start.
“I think that’s the first time since I started playing basketball,” Richards said about coming off the bench. “I knew I just had to come out strong and I had to keep my head up.”
Danyelle Snelgro got the start in her place but Richards played the majority of the minutes. Brittany Hagen also didn’t start for the first time this season. Ashley Rutledge and Brittany Tressler started alongside Jenny Gross, Jessica Freeman and Snelgro.
Freeman scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked five shots while Rutledge scored 10 points thanks to three 3-pointers, two of which came on the 19-4 run in the second half.
The teams seemed to flip-flop at half as Fresno State, who shot 45 percent in the first, shot just 28 percent from the field in the second half.
Utah State meanwhile improved from 29 percent in the first to 46 percent in the second.
The Aggies committed just six turnovers in the second half. The better ball control allowed the Ags to get back into the game and keep the game close down the stretch, Pebley said.
The Ags will spend the rest of the month on the road, as their next home game will be on Feb. 2 against New Mexico State.
San Jose State 63Utah State 51
On Thursday January 5, the Aggies turned the ball over 28 times against the Spartans but were able to stay close until the closing minutes of the second half, thanks to 12 points from Jenny Gross and eight points each from Ashley Rutledge and Brittany Tressler.
“At crucial times, it’s coming from our guards,” Pebley said of the turnovers that plagued the Aggies in their first conference game in the WAC.
Twelve of the 28 turnovers came from the starting guards Taylor Richards and Camille Brox.
If the guards didn’t play well, then the post players couldn’t get their normal opportunities to score. Ali Marchant and Freeman scored four and six points respectively on six shot attempts.
Saint Louis 75Utah State 61
On New Year’s Eve, the Aggies took on the Saint Louis Billikens in a matinee game.
The Aggies shot just 29 percent in the second half to lose to the University of Saint Louis. Marchant had 19 points and eight rebounds while Brittany Tressler scored 13 to help keep the Aggies in the game until the second half.
Richards dished out nine assists, a career high, to help the Ags shoot 48 percent in the first half.
The shots wouldn’t fall in the second period as Utah State went more than nine minutes without making a field goal.
Saint Louis outscored the Ags by 13 in the second half. Utah State out rebounded the Billikens but committed 22 turnovers to prevent them from capitalizing on their inside play and Richards’ career high for assists.
Texas A&M 81Utah State 55
Three days after Christmas, the Aggies traveled to College Station, Texas, to take on Texas A&M. Taylor Richards scored 21 points and freshman Lindsey Freeze added 15 to account for nearly two-thirds of Utah State’s points.
The Aggies were never really in the game trailing 46-19 at the half. The second half was a little more even with Utah State outscoring Texas A&M 36-35.
Texas A&M outshot the Aggies by 10 percent – 44-34. Texas A&M also out rebounded the Aggies 48-35. Texas A&M had as many offensive rebounds as Utah State had defensive ones – 23.
Wyoming 73Utah State 59
The Cowboy’s barrage of 3-pointers and some timely turnovers by the Aggies helped Wyoming improve to 8-1 and the Ags drop to 1-7.
Marchant scored 19 points on 7-9 shooting from the field. Richards scored 15 including three 3-pointers to help keep the Ags close until the final minutes.
Some key turnovers highlighted by made 3-pointers by Wyoming stretched the Cowboy lead down the stretch, which wasn’t threatened as they capitalized on the free throws they were given with less than a minute to play.
“I felt a lot better with our percentages today,” Pebley said of the Utah State’s performance. Utah State shot 42 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line for the game.
Weber State 77Utah State 69
Marchant scored 15 of her 18 points in the second half and Freeze scored 15 off the bench to help keep the Aggies in the game at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
Marchant added nine rebounds for the game but the Ags could never get closer than three in the second half.
Utah State attempted 14 free throws the entire game while the Wildcats took 32, making 22.
With the Aggies making 10 of their 14 from the line, free throw shooting provides the winning margin.
-krn@cc.usu.edu