Women’s hoops lose winning streak, fall to the Bulldogs

FRESNO, CA – After winning their last two conference games, the USU women’s basketball team failed to make it three in a row due to three-point shooting woes, as well as turnover problems. Led by the Cavinder twins —Hanna and Haley— Fresno State proved to be too much for the Aggies as they emerged victorious by a score of 71-57.

Thanks to the terrific post work of Adryana Quezada, Utah State began the first quarter relatively strong. They were able to separate themselves from the Bulldogs around the three minute mark, where the lead grew to five points. The USU defense was able to hold the Fresno State offense scoreless for prolonged amounts of time but before you knew it, the terrific guard play of the Cavinder twins prevailed. The Aggies’ costly turnovers allowed for two quick three’s from Hanna Cavinder which helped to catapult the Bulldogs to an 18-13 lead when the first-quarter horn sounded.

Quezada ended the first quarter well on her way to another double-double. She finished the quarter with eight points and five rebounds. Laci Hawthorne also built on her late-game heroics from the game before by adding five points. The Bulldogs’ first-quarter plan can be categorized in one word — Cavinder. The twins poured in 14 points and Haley led the team with five rebounds. 

The second quarter began and the Aggies came out hot. They began the quarter on an impressive 6-0 run. Even more impressive was that the team was doing this without Quezada on the floor. The Aggies dominated the offensive boards, as well as the paint in the second quarter. Because of this success in the paint and on the boards, Utah State led 30-27 when the halftime whistle blew.

The third quarter began and the post play of Wytalla Motta elevated to another level. The starting forward picked up a pivotal and-one to knot the game up at 30. The scoring then started to come for the Bulldogs off of the Aggies’ turnovers. The Aggies committed six third-quarter turnovers which would end up costing them. The team’s three-point struggles continued into the second half, shooting just two three-point shots and missing both. 

“We have to get in the gym more,” Head Coach Kayla Ard said. “We can’t beat very many teams going 2-13 from the three-point line.”

The Aggies brought their three-point struggle into the fourth quarter, shooting an abysmal 0-4 from behind the line. The team also continued to commit turnovers, ending the fourth quarter with five and bringing the game total to an astounding 19. Fresno State was also able to capitalize off of these mistakes, scoring an impressive 21 points off of turnovers. The Bulldogs were able to fend off a late Aggie push to seal the victory.

The team ended the game looking tired. Ard credited fatigue and bad referee calls to the loss, but made sure to emphasize that the team cannot make excuses. 

Utah State will look to get back to their winning ways as they take on the San Diego State Aztecs in the Spectrum on Feb. 2.

-Mikey.Bishop@usu.edu