Schlott’s career-high sparks Aggies to win over Utah
With the game on Tuesday night tied at 46 with under 12 minutes left, it looked like the contest between the Utes and Aggies would come down to the wire.
The Utah State women’s basketball team had other plans.
Led by senior Jennifer Schlott, USU pulled away from the Utes and won by a score of 77-61.
Schlott scored six straight Aggie points to give USU a 52-49 lead with 10:17 left, and the team would not look back. The Aggies went on a 14-0 run during a four-minute stretch and found themselves up 16 points against their Pac-12 adversaries.
“I thought defensively we picked it up a notch,” Schlott said. “We went for steals. We were in their faces. We just put pressure on them.”
Utah defeated USU last year in dominating fashion by a score of 92-64 in Salt Lake. The Utes out rebounded the Aggies 43-25 during that game.
Before the game, USU head coach Jerry Finkbeiner identified rebounding as a focal point for the matchup. The Aggies managed to out-rebound the Utes by five, with junior guard Elise Nelson leading the way in the category with 10 rebounds.
“We just needed to get boards, out-rebound them. We needed to block people out and keep them off the boards,” said sophomore guard Mackenlee Williams. “Coach said we will win if we do that, and we executed it just the way it was supposed to go.”
Schlott nearly had half of the team’s points with 37. The total was a career-high, eclipsing her previous high of 32. Schlott also had six rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
“I’m just trying to do whatever I need to do to get the win,” Schlott said. “I know I have to be an offensive threat this year, but Franny (Vaaulu) set some great screens for me. It’s always great having shooters on the outside. It’s just about all the offense.”
“Sometimes when she goes in the lane I just think, ‘How did she just get that off?’ But she is a great player and I love playing with her,” said Williams about Schlott.
USU also secured the ball well, recording only six turnovers. The Utes were not as safe with possession, turning the ball over 14 times.
“That’s what we want, under 12, so six is great,” Williams said. “They aren’t a bad defensive team, so I’m impressed with that.”
This is the first time since the 1978-79 season the Aggies have started out the season 3-0. The average margin of victory in their three wins this season is 38.3 points.
“It’s huge, it helps us recruiting-wise and Mountain West-wise,” said Schlott about the start to the season. “I think it definitely sets the tone for the Mountain West.”
The Aggies have now defeated two teams they lost to last year, both by wide margins.
USU hasn’t defeated Utah since the 2009-10 season, but before then they hadn’t beat Utah since 1974. The win last night brought the Aggies win total against the Utes to 3-31 all time, and USU picked up its first win over a Pac-12 team in three years.
“It feels so good. They spanked us last year,” Schlott said. “It’s really nice to get the win, and the way we got it, we played really well.”
USU takes on Idaho State on Friday at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. It will be the fourth-straight home game to begin the season, something Finkbeiner sees as very valuable and a luxury the Aggies didn’t have last season.
“Last year we started with our first six on the road, so starting with the four at home, we have more time to practice and get better,” Finkbeiner said. “That was our goal, to get better at the beginning of the season.”
Tipoff between the Aggies and Bengals is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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