WBB Preview: Utah State Heads To Boise State For Regular Season Finale
“We played Boise pretty close last game and I think we’re a whole new team,” freshman guard CJ Latta said. “I think the game that'll happen on Tuesday will be completely different. And so we're looking forward to that, but if we just keep the confidence that we have and keep playing how we have been, I think it'll be good.”
Latta is right on both fronts. Yes, the Aggies did play the Broncos close earlier this season and yes, the Aggies are a different team now than they were on Jan. 8. Utah State proudly displayed early signs of progress in that 82-77 loss, and much of that progress has become more evident in the games since.
Utah State played 10 players in that first meeting against the Broncos, and none of them were named Taliyah Logwood. USU’s rotation has tightened since then, and usually consists of seven or eight players with Logwood playing a significant role. The Aggies protected the ball well and gave up only seven turnovers in that outing, marking the first time in program history that Utah State gave up fewer than 10 turnovers in back-to-back games. In this regard, the Aggies have regressed, because they haven’t been in single digits since – what looked like a step in the right direction at the time, committing just six then seven turnovers in back-to-back games, instead turned out to be an outlier. Although it hasn’t become a habit, it is good to know that the Aggies can protect the ball like that.
The Aggies also showed off some adjustments to their press against the Broncos. Those adjustments have since been fine-tuned even further. Their press had already been effective at times, but it was getting beaten on the back-end as teams were throwing over the front line. Utah State addressed this to cut down on open layups at the rim, but still struggled to come down with the ball, giving the Broncos too many easy extra tries. Overall, Utah State forced 14 turnovers but gave up 14 offensive boards and 17 second-chance points in that game, and those second-chance points, along with a series of runs, gave the Broncos too much to work with. Foul trouble inside didn’t help Utah State’s cause as Gracie Johnson fouled out of the game after 15 minutes and Jamisyn Heaton picked up three fouls in 27 minutes.
Natalie Pasco and Mya Hansen, who combined for nine three-pointers and 46 points, were the main antagonists who the Aggies had to deal with. Pasco torched the Aggies with 25 points, two rebounds and an assist while Hansen had 21 points, two rebounds and two assists with a 4-of-7 shooting performance from deep. Tatum Thompson added 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. The Broncos, despite putting 11 players on the court, only got 11 bench points, nine of them coming from Dani Bayes. Bayes also added five rebounds and an assist, putting together a nice reserve performance.
Utah State saw great efforts from two familiar faces. In a bit of foreshadowing, Cheyenne Stubbs and Latta, the heroes of Utah State’s current two-game winning streak, led the way with 36 combined points. Stubbs had 20 points with a rebound, three assists and a steal and Latta had 16 points with two rebounds and a steal. She was 5 of 7 from the floor and 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. Mia Tarver, who will likely miss this game with an ankle injury, also had a great game with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophie Sene and Denae Skelton added eight points apiece and Elise Livingston pitched in five.
The transformation of Utah State into its current form has been a common talking point lately. Coach Joe Haigh and Latta both said it ahead of the team’s rematch against Nevada, when the Aggies avenged a nine-point loss with an 18-point victory, and Latta said the same thing ahead of the Boise State game. After a grueling path back to the win column, the Aggies now boast a two-game winning streak for the first time in a long time. They may have some momentum, but with that can come fatigue, and the Aggies are doing their best to combat that ahead of their regular season finale.
The Aggies are already down a star in Tarver, and are working on a short turnaround with Latta and Stubbs both coming off back-to-back 40-minute games. Additionally, Sene is observing Ramadan and began fasting around 5 a.m. on the day of the 6:30 p.m. game. All of this adds extra layers to the already-complex maze keeping players fresh and healthy late in the season. But, feeling confident in the way the team is playing and with the strenuous circumstances facing them just ahead of the conference tournament, head coach Wes Brooks said the focus was rest.
“We’re in a good spot, we're very, very excited moving forward,” Brooks said. “I think we need rest. I think the most important thing this time of year is rest.”
He said the goal is to have “fresh legs and a clear mind,” going into not only the season finale but into the tournament just beyond it.
Players To Know
Mya Hansen: Hansen is a threatening scorer who makes up for what she lacks in consistency with high-end potential. She is in a lull right now, with back-to-back shutouts following a two-point game, but the Montana native is very comfortable against Utah State and can fill it up from all three levels.
She has eclipsed 15 points five times this season and has eight double-digit performances. She notched her season high and her only 20-point game in Logan, when she recorded 21 points, two rebounds, and two assists. For the year, she's averaging 7.8 points, 1.9 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game while shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three-point range.
Dani Bayes: Bayes came off the bench against the Aggies last time, but she has started in 20 of her 30 games this year and may get the nod on Tuesday night. She's in her third year in Gordy Presnell’s Boise State system and has become an important piece of the puzzle for the Broncos.
She's comfortable in just about any role, and sits currently as the third-leading scorer on this Boise State squad, averaging 9.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and one steal per game. In her past three games, she's bumped those numbers up a bit, averaging 14 points and three boards against Wyoming, UNLV and Air Force. Her season high of 19 came against Furman.
Stats To Know
Rebounding: Utah State got beat up on the boards when Boise State visited Logan, and it came as no big surprise. The Broncos are adept on the glass and Utah State has struggled all year. Thompson, Abby Muse and even Elodie Lalotte make things very difficult for opposing teams on the inside, and on the year, Boise State touts solid rebounding numbers on both the offensive (194th nationally) and defensive (149th) ends of the floor.
Granted, Utah State was also without Logwood, who is good for 4.1 boards a night when the Broncos won that game, but there's still a gap here. The Aggies will need to cut into Boise State’s second-chance points to give themselves a shot, and though they don’t need to win the rebounding battle outright, they can’t afford to lose it 43-29 and give up 17 second-chance points again. Logwood should provide relief on both fronts, both in scooping up boards and adding a defensive presence when Boise State does come down with an offensive rebound.
Fouls: The Aggies will also need to stay out of foul trouble as well, which proved problematic in the first matchup. Adding Logwood to the lineup this round doesn’t do much for the Aggies if she can’t stay on the floor, and Heaton’s services will be in high demand to help Utah State keep pace in the post. The Aggies can’t have either of them getting into foul trouble, and can't afford to give Boise State free points at the stripe.
Turnovers: The turnover battle between these teams is sure to be an interesting one. These defenses take polarizing approaches, one relying on speed, turnovers, and havoc, and the other relying on blocks and boards. Utah State thrives when it can force turnovers, and is even willing to give up some of its own to speed up the game. Utah State snatches 8.8 steals and forces 17.1 turnovers per game. Interestingly, the Aggies have also committed 17.1 turnovers per game, a shockingly balanced figure showing just how willing Utah State is to give up the ball to get to its 75.2 possession per game pace.
Boise State, on the other hand, rarely turns teams over. The Broncos are only grabbing 6.9 steals per game and forcing 14.6 turnovers – some of the lowest numbers in the country. The Aggies saw this firsthand in January when they committed seven turnovers on three Bronco steals. And again, the Broncos differ from the Aggies in their offensive approach to turning the ball over. While the Aggies are focused on speeding up the game, the Broncos are surgical with the ball. They commit just 14.8 turnovers per game for a turnover rate of 18 percent, which ranks within the top 100 nationally.