Women down St. Mary’s in California
St. Mary’s College tasted defeat for the second time in a row as they fell 67-61 to the Aggies in Moraga, Calif., on Monday night.
With the Aggie seniors paving the way, the team concluded their second team win of the early season. Senior forward Brittany Phillips contributed 15 points, a game high. Also, senior forward Brittany Hagen and senior guard Camille Brox both offered key shots throughout the game.
Game starter, sophomore guard Danyelle Snelgro, was one of the five players to score double digits with 14 points. Junior forward Jenny Gross had 12 points and ended with nine rebounds, seven of those offensive.
“They definitely challenged our poise and our execution,” said Gross in a post-game radio interview, “but I think we did well, everybody contributed; the bench definitely helped out.”
The first half proved to be a struggle to both teams. With the Aggies in the lead 14-11, no one scored for more than two minutes. Play continued as baskets were exchanged until half time was called. St. Mary’s led 30-29.
From the bench, the Aggies lifted their energy in support of their starters, who played for the majority of the game. With spirits high, those who had a chance to break into the game entered the court with that same rush, said Head Coach Raegan Pebley in a post-game radio broadcast.
“There’s a tendency when teams go zone to lose a little energy and enthusiasm,” Pebley said, “and our bench – they were in it; they were ready.”
USU didn’t allow St. Mary’s to pass them up in the second half, but rebounding for St. Mary’s was a large 51, with 26 offensive and 25 defensive. Making 8-8 free throws in the last minute of the game gave the Aggies a scoring cushion, keeping the Gaels at a safe distance.
“The way we played the game allowed us the composure to hit those free throws,” said Pebley.” We didn’t get caught up in the chaos.”
Maija Lahde, junior forward for St. Mary’s, led the Gaels with 12 field goals, 11 of those points in the first half, and 13 rebounds. Despite Lahde’s help, they finished with a 32.3 field goal percentage compared to USU’s 40.3 percent. The Gaels now fall to 2-3 for their season.
This game marks the beginning of a five-game away tour for the Aggie women. Next up is Stockton, Calif., and the University of the Pacific on Nov. 29. Since the Aggies have already come up against Pacific this season, Pebley said they will be expecting the game to be as physical as it has been in the past.
“Most of their personnel is different from when we played them last,” said Pebley. “It’s kind of fun looking at that court and knowing we’re going somewhere where we’ve been before.”
The Aggies will return home to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Dec. 20 when they face off against the University of Portland.
-eawads@cc.usu.edu