Nevada’s tight defense overwhelms the Lady Ags in tough road loss
The USU women’s basketball team fell to the University of Nevada Wolf Pack 61-49 after a frustrating fight to stay in the game, Thursday night in Reno, Nevada.
Head Coach Raegan Pebley captured a technical foul for yelling at one of the officials following a foul she did not agree with. With the lack of acknowledgment by the referee Pebley’s complaint was meant for, she still did not go unnoticed, which is what she wanted, Pebley said.
“I just felt like I’d seen a lot and I knew how games had been called with Nevada before, especially on this court,” Pebley said in a post game radio interview. “I think the refs just have to do the best that they can, and they did do the best that they can, but again it was, I guess, just a little bit of strategy on my part to not let it go the whole game. If I had a chance to change it that was the chance that I had.”
Only two players reached double digits for the Aggies. Junior guard Taylor Richards brought 15 points and one rebound, while senior forward Brittany Phillips gave 10 points during 30 minutes of play. Sophomore guard Ana Pares made a stand in her seven minutes of court time with five points and four rebounds.
With the players struggling with the physical aspect of the game, the offensive side of both teams had little chance to pull through, Pebley said. Holding the Wolf Pack to 61 points, especially with USU subs in the game, showed an ability to keep them from finding their offensive flow, she said.
“It was a physical game,” Pebley said. “I was glad to be on the sideline and not on the court. It was the most physical game we’ve played in all year.”
USU managed a 37 percent field goal percentage, short of the Wolf Pack’s 38 percent. Half time came with a 33-22 lead by the Wolf Pack. The return from the locker room would hold no promise for the Aggies as they remained behind for the rest of the game.
Wolf Pack senior forward Jessica Preslar found 12 points and 10 rebounds in the game for a double-double. Peslar also had help from fellow teammate, sophomore point guard Dellena Criner, who pulled down eight rebounds, five of those defensive.
“They were playing so well defensively that there was no room for error offensively,” Pebley said. “We had to be very sharp and very crisp and very disciplined amongst all the havoc that Nevada created.”
The Aggies now fall to 7-8 in Western Athletic Conference play and 11-16 in their overall season. Nevada’s lady Wolf Pack advances to 16-12 along with their 10-5 standing in the WAC.
USU will visit Fresno State next on their road schedule. This game marks the Aggies last game in regular season play. In their first meeting of the season, the lady Aggies defeated the Bulldogs 81-75.
Against the Bulldogs Richards scored a huge, career-high of 28 points in the game that extended into overtime. Hometown fans also saw three other Aggies players reach double figures on the night. Senior forward Brittany Hagen helped bring the win home with 14 points, nine of those made off 3-pointers.
Four Bulldogs also totaled points in the double digit range, led by the 17-point making senior guard Chantella Perera. The 6-foot-3-inch, senior center Jenny Thigpin chipped in with nine rebounds and 14 points, deadly close to a double-double for her team.
“This is the fourth year in a row, Big West or WAC, we’ve finished off the season on the road,” Pebley said. “You’re going to have better chances of building momentum when you get to play at home. I’m hoping next year we get that, but this is the hand we’re dealt right now and we’ve got to really rise to the challenge to try and beat Fresno.”
As the Aggies go into competition with the Bulldogs they can hope to move up in the WAC standings, but there is no way they can fall lower than their sixth place ranking. Moving toward tournament play USU will be looking to come away from Fresno, Calif. with a win.
“We really want this win bad,” Richards said, “and it will give us just what we need to go into tournament and to do well this year.”
– eawads@cc.usu.edu