Women hoopsters top Metro State
It definitely looked like the first game of the season for the Utah State women’s basketball team in its 49-45 win over Metro State in the Spectrum Friday night. But a win is a win, and the team is happy to start out on the right foot.
“Obviously a very low scoring game,” head coach Raegan Pebley said. “But, a lot of that is that it is the first test for the offense. First test for the kids in a game situation. Metro State played very well, they are a good Division-II team.”
“It was a good taste for a win,” Kalhie Quinones, a junior college transfer from Colorado, said. “There’s definitely some things we could work on, but right now we are just having that good feeling. First team win, [my] first win as an Aggie.”
Quinones led the Ags in rebounding with six, but it was true freshman Taylor Richards who gave the Aggies their win, leading the way with 18 points.
“It’s nice when you can have newcomers come into the team and everyone accept them and show them the ropes,” Quinones said. “Then, eventually they go off on their own and eventually start leading.
“Taylor Richards is an amazing leader, she just does not stop pushing. I think that sparked a lot of players as well as giving her that self-confidence.”
“That kid has worked hard to prepare to be an Aggie since the day she committed to us,” Pebley said. “She’s been in shape, done whatever we asked her to. The sky is the limit for her. There is definitely room for her to improve, but this is a great start for a freshman.”
Last year’s leading scorers Ali Aird and Christina Zdenek were hardly able to help the offense at all for the Aggies. Zdenek ended the night with no points, only taking four shots in the entire game.
Aird fared a little better, putting up 11 points for the Aggie offense.
However, Pebley said she isn’t worried about the low output by her leading scorers. She said that Metro State knew who to block and stopped both players well.
The first half was a little rough for the Aggies, turning the ball more than 13 times. With one minute left in the half, Utah State had a 4-0 run, ending with two layups from Quinones and Richards to tie the game at 24 as the Ags headed into the locker room.
With seven minutes left to play in the game, Metro State was up 40-35. A 3-pointer from Ashley [Anderson] Rutledge brought the game to within three and fired up the Aggie offense.
“I don’t know what happened,” Richards said. “I just picked up my intensity. My team got fired up, I got fired up.”
Richards hit several layups for the Ags to give them a lead, 47-45, with a little over a minute left.
With just seconds left, Quinones was able to pick up a key offensive rebound and Richards hit two free-throws to seal the victory for the Aggies.
That’s the type of player Kahlie is,” Pebley said. “A kid that wasn’t going to show up in all the places in the box score, but be a kid that just gets a lot done, that gets you those momentum lifts.”
The Aggies’ next exhibition game is against Utah Showcase Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Spectrum.
-aedmunds@cc.usu.edu