Women’s basketball drops game in final seconds
A buzzer-beating shot ended up being the deciding factor for the Utah State University women’s basketball team as they lost to Western Montana University 84-83 Tuesday night in Montana.
Being up by one point with only five seconds left in the game, the Aggies looked as though they would come away with a win against Montana as long as they could play good defense.
Instead, the Aggies saw their hopes disappear as they watched Montana’s final shot roll around the hoop until it finally went in as the buzzer sounded, ending the game 84-83.
Only a few seconds earlier, with the ball in their possession and less than 10 seconds left in the game, the Aggies were in the same position Montana would soon be in.
Western Montana was down 82-81 and needed a big play for the win. Kathrine Symmes was the one to make the play. With six seconds on the clock, Symmes made a shot that put the Aggies on top by one, but didn’t give them the win.
“All we had to do was hold them for five seconds,” Head Coach Chalyce Stevens said. “I just keep going over it in my head, it was frustrating.”
The Aggies out scored Montana from the field making 34 field goals opposed to Montana’s 30, and they had the same number of three-pointers.
The difference came from the free-throw line where the Aggies should have capitalized, Stevens said, but that wasn’t the case.
The Aggies only came out of the game with eight points from the line, yet allowed Montana 17.
“It was a real heartbreaker,” Stevens said.
Aside from the free-throws, Stevens said the Aggies came away with some good individual numbers. Amy Fuller, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds, led the group, followed by Symmes with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Leah Roberts, who also had 10 rebounds.
This weekend the Aggies will travel to St. George to play Dixie College Saturday night.
“We’re looking forward to it. The worst part will be coming home [to the cold weather],” Stevens said.
The Aggies played Dixie once before this year at the Jamboree and lost, Stevens said, but it was their fifth game of the day and USU was tired.
“They run the ball really well, fast break after fast break,” Stevens said.
As long as the Aggies can control the fast break, Stevens said they have a good chance.