USU women’s hoops mounts comeback win to close out 2020

A 17-6 fourth quarter comeback led Utah State women’s basketball to its first conference win in its first conference home game under head coach Kayla Ard. With the win, the Aggies improved to 3-4 on the season with one Mountain West win and one loss.

NO SOUP FOR YOU!@jesschatty#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/jVQnkRqhZo

— USU Women's Hoops (@USUWBasketball) December 31, 2020

While graduate transfer Jessica Chatman — who leads the team with 13.3 points per game — continued to have a big role in the team, denying Air Force the opportunity to tie the game with just eight seconds left — it was career-highs from Monique Pruitt and Faith Brantley who led the scoring charge.

Sophomore Brantley led the team with 17 points with an impressive shooting night of 7-9 from the field and 1-1 from deep. Pruitt, a junior, chipped in 16 points with most of them coming early on in the game.

“We really wanted this win tonight. We were in the Spectrum for the first time in conference, it was big for us,” said Utah State head coach Kayla Ard. “The girls were definitely prepared and they were locked in all week. We didn’t play great, but at the end of the third quarter we had a very energetic huddle and I thought we just responded very well in the fourth. We held them to six points in the fourth quarter, which was huge, and that was just about heart.”

As a team, Utah State shot 38.7 percent (24-of-62) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from 3-point range and 66.7 percent (18-of-27) from the free throw line. Air Force shot 35.8 percent (24-of-67) from the field, while shooting 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from the 3-point line and 52.0 percent (13-of-25) from the charity stripe. 

Utah State played just its second conference game of the season, the first at home, after its second of two against San Jose State was postponed the week prior. This was a chance for the Aggies to show the home fans what they can bring under first-year head coach Ard.

“This win means a lot because the last couple of games we lost were very close games,” Pruitt said. “We just worked hard, we really wanted this game especially at home when we have fans here to cheer us on.”

Utah State will have one day off before its back in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday to take on the Falcons again.

— sports@usustatesman.com

Photos courtesy of USU Athletics/Wade Denniston