Utah State Women’s Basketball falls in a close battle to San Diego State
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Jan. 13 at 1:44 p.m. to adhere to AP Style guidelines.
Utah State came within one shot of a statement win on Jan. 7 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, rallying from a first-half deficit to take control in the second half before falling 73–72 to Mountain West leader San Diego State.
The Aggies never led in the opening 20 minutes and trailed by as many as eight, but a quick burst out of halftime flipped the game and put Utah State in front for the first time. By the final horn, the teams had traded the lead six times, with San Diego State holding the advantage for 20:27 and Utah State leading for 16:36.
Utah State entered the game No. 9 in the Mountain West standings and was shorthanded, dressing only eight players. All eight saw the floor, and the group stayed within one possession for most of the game against a San Diego State team that sits atop the conference.
Head coach Wesley Brooks opened the press conference with an injury report. Marina Asensio, the team’s top scorer, is out for the season with a torn ACL. Rachel Wilson, the player with the highest field goal percentage, was out this game with a concussion and is working through concussion protocol. Another star player Aaliyah Gayles was out with strep throat. Andjela Marojevic was also not present due to passport troubles.
“I’m really proud of how hard they competed,” Brooks said. “We were short-handed, but nobody made excuses. Every player who was available gave us something.”
The Aggies struggled early to find rhythm on offense as the Aztecs controlled the tempo and built a modest but steady lead. San Diego State’s defense forced Utah State into contested looks, while the Aggies missed opportunities to close the gap before halftime.
Coming out of the break, Utah State changed the feel of the game almost immediately. The Aggies pushed the pace, attacked the lane and hit timely shots to erase the deficit and take a brief lead, igniting the Spectrum.
“I thought our energy changed coming out of halftime,” Brooks said. “We were more aggressive, we got stops and we started playing downhill offensively. That’s when we’re at our best.”
Senior guard Karyn Sanford was a major part of that surge. After an up-and-down start to the season, Sanford knocked down shots and helped steady the offense when Utah State needed it most.
“It felt really good,” Sanford said. “Since coming back from break, I’ve been feeling much better about my shot. Sometimes they fall, sometimes they don’t, but the confidence is back, and the confidence is where it needs to be.”
With two regular rotation players sidelined, Sanford also took on a larger playmaking role. She said the goal was to keep the offense connected and avoid empty possessions.
“For me, the biggest thing is having low turnovers,” Sanford said. “I know I can get the ball to people and get people good shots, but keeping the turnovers low so that we don’t have any empty possessions is going to be key and then just making sure we’re together.”
Utah State finished with 14 assists against nine turnovers, matching San Diego State’s nine giveaways.
“We took care of the ball and shared it,” Brooks said. “Fourteen assists to nine turnovers against a team like that is something we can build on.”
“I think we moved the ball really well,” Sanford said. “We got downhill. We knew when to kick it out and when to take it, and for the most part, nobody was trying to take selfish shots.”
San Diego State responded to Utah State’s second-half push with timely baskets of its own, keeping the game within one or two possessions down the stretch. Utah State built its largest lead at 11, but the Aztecs closed the gap and edged back in front late.
“Karyn gave us a lot of poise out there,” Brooks said. “She was aggressive when she needed to score, and she made the right reads when they tried to take that away.”
Despite the loss, Utah State showed depth and composure with a short bench. Sanford said the team has talked about playing through adversity without making injuries an excuse.
“We address it, but we also don’t want to make it a focal point,” she said. “We have enough pieces to still be a really good team, and I think today showed that.”
The Aggies had a chance to tie or win in the final moments, but the last look did not fall. San Diego State escaped with the one-point victory while Utah State was left with a narrow loss in conference play.
With only eight players available and a demanding conference schedule ahead, Utah State will look to build on the energy and execution it showed in the second half as it continues Mountain West play.
“We were one possession away from beating the top team in the league,” Brooks said. “That tells us a lot about what we’re capable of when we stay connected and execute.”