Utah State wins close one over Utah Valley
Playing in Logan for the first time since a November 20th matchup against BYU, the Aggies successfully defended their homecourt and pulled out a win in an offensive showcase, 67-62 over another in-state foe, Utah Valley.
To obtain the victory, Utah State overcame an outstanding outing from UVU’s Jordan Holland who put up a double-double in 30 minutes of action with game-highs of 24 points (10-14 shooting) and 10 rebounds. Olivia West, Shannon Dufficy, and Steph Gorman led USU in scoring, all three posting double digit point totals, and Eliza West impressed as a maestro on the court with 13 assists, one shy of a program record in a single game, consistently setting her team up with easy baskets.
“They were playing a zone” said West. “When I see a zone, I just want to think, ‘How can I pick it apart?’”
UVU shot the ball well with slashes of 49/33.3/80 to USU’s 42.6/38.5/83.3. Utah State also assisted on every basket expect five, West’s double digit assist total helping USU to 21 assists in the game.
“I’m happy that our three point game showed up today,” said Coach Finkbeiner, but he was also quick to say that “We didn’t finish shots very well in the paint, and we didn’t finish shots very well in the mid-range.”
Utah State University player Hailey Bassett-Meacham shoots a free throw against UVU Saturday afternoon. Utah State won, 67-62.
Much of the first quarter was lopsided in the Wolverines favor, and with 1:52 remaining, UVU led the Aggies by 10 points, but two Olivia West threes brought the game to a manageable 16-12 to end the period.
USU found its rhythm beginning in the second, however, and had tied the game at 20 with 8:11 remaining in the quarter and finished a period which they dominated, up 33-29.
“We didn’t execute well at the start,” said West “ [but] once a few of our shots dropped, we were able to catch back up.”
The third was much the same as the second as halftime did nothing to cool the Aggie offense down, and in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, the Aggies outscored UVU by a collective 20 points. The game went into the final period of play with USU holding a 16 point advantage–the second largest lead in the game, 57-41.
The Utah State University womens basketball team prepares for their game against UVU.
In typical rivalry fashion, though, Utah Valley made the game interesting late into the 4th, cutting the Aggie lead to just five points and making it a two possession game with 47 seconds remaining. The effort was too little too late, however, and the Wolverines were forced to ice USU which made four clutch free throws to seal their win, 67-62.
While happy with the win, Finkbeiner was disappointed with his team’s overall effort. “We just played too casually and in some situations, very passively.”
The victory extends Utah State’s winning streak to three and puts Utah State at 5-5 on the season with just one more home game against Long Beach State on December 22 at 2:00 until conference play begins.