Women’s basketball tunes up in exhibition win over Mary
The Oxford Dictionary defines the word “maraud” as “roaming in search of things to steal or people to attack” – quite an epic mascot to be held by the Marauders of the University of Mary.
Friday night, however, it seemed like the Aggies were doing most of the marauding.
The USU women’s basketball squad started off their season soundly with an 84-50 victory in their first exhibition match-up against the University of Mary, outscoring their opponent by 20 points in the second half.
“It feels good. The University of Mary gave us a good test,” USU head coach Raegan Pebley said. “They came to compete, but I thought our team as a whole played really well.”
The Aggies found great success through stellar scoring performances by forwards Amber White and Ashlee Brown.
White, a native of San Leandro, Calif., finished with 16 points, shooting 6-12 and 2-5 from the 3-point line. The USU senior didn’t credit her performance just to herself.
“It was great,” White said, “I really owe it to my teammates. They did the work. I just ended up at the right place at the right time.”
Brown, a redshirt junior, came out explosively in her first game as an Aggie. The former Santa Barbara forward went 9-15 from the field, topping off the game with 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists, creating a well-needed offensive spark for a defense-honed Aggie team.
After her first game, Brown looks to be a great fit to the squad.
“Last year as a redshirt she worked really hard and maximized that redshirt year to improve her game,” Pebley said. “I was so happy for her after the huge investment she made that she could see some productivity her first game out.”
“[Brown] was spectacular,” White said. “It was everything I was expecting. I’m really proud of her.”
The Marauders kept things competitive, trailing by three points with five minutes left to play in the first half. The Aggies then led a charge of solid shooting and a great rebounding performance from sophomore center Banna Diop to force an 18-7 run, giving USU a 44-30 lead at halftime. The scoring run was highlighted by a pair of consecutive 3-pointers by White, who was brought back into the game just in time to give her offense a much-needed boost. From there, the Aggies never looked back.
“We got a little bit of confidence toward the end of the half,” White said. “It gave us some momentum and we took advantage of it. I think we knew we had to take advantage after a certain time.”
Pebley said she has been impressed with White’s senior leadership thus far.
“She’s done a great job in her day to day. Her practice leadership, her locker room leadership is really solid. She’s confident, she doesn’t feel likes she’s just a scorer for us, and she isn’t panicking. Those are great characteristics.”
The Aggies also saw great inside play from Diop, who was big on the boards with 14 rebounds to go with seven points, five assists and three blocks. The six-foot-six Senegal native played a key role on offense, executing well through passing and finding open looks in the back court.
“Banna will continue to be a big part of our offense for sure,” said Pebley. “She’s just so long and a great passer. As long as she continues to stay consistent we’re going to continue to utilize her.”
Pebley said the team has work to do on the defensive end to be successful.
“The defense is pretty good. I feel pretty good as to what we finished at, but I know when I go back and watch film I’ll be unhappy with our inability to contain penetration. There are just some things we’ve got to get done to get better.”
Overall, Pebley said she felt good after the team’s first try on the court.
“We look really good,” Pebley said. “This is one of the best passing teams I think we’ve had here at Utah State for a while. When you play like that you get good team chemistry on and off the court, and it’s going to produce some high percentage shots. It should be fun.”
The Aggies start regular season play Friday when they host Dixie State at 4 p.m. at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
– steve.schwartzman@aggiemail.usu.edu