USU Women’s Hoops drop ninth straight game despite Quezada’s 30 points

LOGAN — Utah State Women’s basketball looked to pick up its first conference win of the season against the visiting Colorado State Rams, but a combination of missed 3-point shots and poor perimeter defense dashed their hopes on Wednesday night.

At the close of the first half, the scoreboard read 42-25. The team couldn’t find their stroke as they shot a mere 29.8% from the field and allowed the Rams to shoot an astounding 52.9%. But after halftime, a new team emerged from the locker room.

The phrase, “Spectrum Magic” was truly embodied during the third period as Junior forward

Adryana Quezada spearheaded an offensive resurgence that included an 8-0 run. The team cut the deficit to nine, but it proved too little too late as USU went on to lose 88-72.

Quezada smashed her previous season-high of 17 points, scoring 30 points in the matchup — two points shy of her career-high. The always fanatical HURD, decked out in identical white t-shirts, rallied behind the star, erupting with every jelly, hook, and bank shot she made. She credited her success to her peers, “I was able to hit 30 points thanks to my teammates.” she said.

Eight of her points came from the charity stripe where she shot a career-high 8-of-8.

“To calm me down at the line, I sing a song,” said the UTSA transfer. 

She wasn’t the only one shooting well from the free-throw line. The team shot 15-18 after forcing CSU to commit 5 fouls in 6 minutes during the third period.

Despite their foul trouble, CSU’s offense was unstoppable thanks to junior guard McKenna Hofschild, who seamlessly orchestrated the Ram’s fast-paced play. She dished out a career-high 17 assists; allowing five of her teammates to reach double-figures. 

Hofschild even proved to be a key defensive player: grabbing a career-high 8 rebounds. Any hope the Aggies had for a comeback was dispelled within their first half of the final period as Colorado State hit shot after shot, shooting 55.6% from beyond the arc.

Kaylin Randhawa put an end to CSU’s offensive tirade as she blocked what would have been the Ram’s 6th 3-pointer of the period. The play garnered screeches of delight from the crowd, most notably from three HURD’s men decked out in neon yellow banana suits.

The Colorado State head coach Ryun Williams jokingly remarked after the game, “[…USU] has some crazy fans.”

The Aggies will once again have an opportunity to win their first conference win of the season this Saturday against the 6-8 Wyoming Cowgirls. But before that can happen, the Aggies need to make some major offensive improvements. Head coach Kayla Ard thinks it’s just a matter of Confidence:

“The girls need to believe in themselves and loosen up. They need to take shots and not quit.”