WBB: Boise State ends Aggies’ season in conference tourney
LAS VEGAS — Utah State Women’s Basketball’s season is over after the Aggies fell to Boise State 66-58 in the first round of the Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship on Sunday night in the Thomas & Mack Center.
“It’s not a win, I wish we could’ve won, obviously we wanted to win, but I couldn’t be more proud of our effort that they put out there today,” USU head coach Kayla Ard said. “They gave me everything they had.”
Despite forcing 21 Bronco turnovers, the Aggies could not consistently score as they finished shooting 32.8% from the field on 61 shots, including shooting 3-for-23 from beyond the arc. Boise State also used its size advantage to outrebound Utah State 47-28, limiting USU to just four second-chance points in the game.
After surrendering a 13-3 run to start the game, the Aggies got baskets from guards Maria Carvalho and Tamiah Robinson to end the first quarter 18-8 in favor of the Broncos.
In the second quarter, USU heated up on offense going on a 7-0 run in 40 seconds, including six points in the paint, to cut the deficit to six points, 23-17. Then both offenses went cold with each team only making a basket each until there was a little over three minutes left in the first half. BSU kept Utah State at arms-length with two free throws to make the halftime score 34-26 in favor of the Broncos.
After the break, the game tightened up with USU picking up four fouls in just over three minutes — a stark contrast from the physical play that was let go in the first half. Three of the fouls went on forward Ashya Klopfenstein who had been a big part of the Aggie defense in the first half totaling three steals and guarding BSU’s bigs.
Once again in the third quarter, Utah State went cold from the field hitting just one-third of their shots. Boise State took advantage of the Aggies’ slump and built their lead to 14 points, 54-40.
But heading into the fourth quarter it was Klopfenstein time. Her mentality going into the game was part of what made her play well.
“I’ve got nothing to lose,” Klopfenstein said when asked what helped her on defense. “It’s my last game, I’m a senior, I’m going to give it everything I have.”
Along with tough defense, that mentality translated on offense as she scored 12 straight for USU in the fourth quarter with four layups and four free throws. She credited her teammates for helping her do it.
“I can’t do what I do if my teammates don’t do what they do,” Klopfenstein. “It wasn’t just me it was a whole team effort.”
However, the Broncos responded to nearly every Klopfenstein basket to keep their lead at double-digits until the game’s final seconds. Robinson finished the game with six straight points, capitalizing on Boise State turnovers to make the final score 66-58.
Robinson totaled 20 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Carvalho and forward Mayson Kimball each scored 10 points with Kimball adding 10 rebounds for a double-double.
For Ard, even though the game didn’t end with a victory, it was successful.
“We wanted to send our seniors off on a good note and though this was not a win, we did do that,” Ard said. “They had fun today and that was our goal.”
After the game, Klopfenstein reflected on her experience playing one season at USU.
“I just realized how precious life is, that there’s so many people who don’t get to do what I do every day,” Klopfenstein. “How blessed am I to be a college athlete, to play basketball for a living and I just — every day is a blessing.”
The Aggies end their season on a 13-game losing streak, finishing with a record of 4-26. With the win, Boise State plays Colorado State in the quarterfinal round at 8:30 p.m. MST.
Featured image by Heidi Bingham.