WBB Review: Third Quarter Woes Resurface For Aggies In Loss At Air Force
COLORADO SPRINGS – Utah State was back in action after snapping a 16-game losing streak and earning its first conference win of the season. With the victory over San Jose State, the Aggies moved out of sole possession of last place in the MWC and into a tie with Air Force, and they were looking to add even more distance between themselves and last place as they traveled to Colorado Springs. But, Utah State came up short after a brutal third-quarter performance left it too far behind to catch up.
The Aggies had many things come together in their win over San Jose State, and other than a slight hiccup early, it seemed like they picked up right where they left off against the Falcons. Air Force had five points on the board before Utah State scored its first points, a pair of free throws from Cheyenne Stubbs. From there, the Aggies dropped to down 12-2 before finally hitting their first field goal of the game, again at the hands of Stubbs, but this time in the form of a three-pointer with 4:13 left in the first frame.
Utah State’s offense and defense clicked, and the Aggies allowed just one more basket for the rest of the quarter while they stacked up nine more points of their own. They got out of the first period locked in a 14-14 tie, and kept it rolling in the second quarter.
After letting Utah State back into the game, Air Force made a move to open the quarter as Milahnie Perry hit a three and Jayda McNabb converted an Aggie turnover into two points to put the Falcons up by five. Stubbs interrupted the Falcon run with a three-pointer, and CJ Latta followed it up with a layup to tie the game at 19. The teams traded buckets and found themselves tied again at 21 when Taliyah Logwood, Jamisyn Heaton and Isabella Tanedo, who earned her first career start, got it going.
Logwood nabbed a steal and Heaton assisted a Tanedo jumper to put the Aggies in front. On the next play, Logwood pulled down a defensive rebound, and again, Heaton assisted Tanedo, this time on a big three that gave the Aggies a five-point lead and forced Air Force to call a timeout.
Air Force still had no answer coming out of the timeout, despite the Aggies giving up plenty of opportunities. The Falcons missed four shots on one possession before Gracie Johnson finally had enough of Air Force’s unsuccessful shoot-around and pulled down a board. On the other end, the Aggies didn’t need nearly as many tries, and Elise Livingston knocked down a jumper on the first look to make it a 9-0 run. Air Force clanked another three, which found its way into the hands of Denae Skelton, and Air Force picked up a foul with 3:40 left in the quarter.
Utah State was up by seven, Air Force couldn’t hit a shot, was turning the ball over, and was starting to accumulate fouls. The Aggies had come all the way back and were right where they needed to be. They just had to keep it up, but Air Force tried to flip the script.
Logwood walked with the ball, giving it right back to the Falcons, and Perry turned that giveaway into two points. Then, the Aggies missed a three-pointer, gave up a defensive rebound, and picked up a foul. The Falcons capitalized again and Keelie O’Hollaren hit a three to cut the lead to two. Needing a display of resilience as the Falcons made a move, Utah State turned to Stubbs, who responded with a three. Air Force added four more points as the Aggies continued to scramble for production after their 9-0 run had ended, and the half came to a close with Utah State nursing a one-point lead, 31-30. From the midpoint of the first quarter to the midpoint of the second, Utah State outscored the Falcons 26-9 and easily climbed from a 12-2 hole.
The Aggies had three steals and nine forced turnovers in the half, and claimed an even assist-to-turnover ratio with 10 apiece, while only losing the rebounding battle by one, 21-20. Air Force, meanwhile, had six fouls to Utah State’s five, and touted a less favorable assist-to-turnover ratio with eight assists to go with nine turnovers. The Falcons were also having a hard time making the most of their ample opportunities. They had just four second-chance points on nine offensive rebounds, and shot 11 of 33 from the field in the half. The first half was a fast-paced, sloppy endeavor, and the Falcons were even starting to show some signs of fatigue. It seemed like Utah State was poised to continue the surge it had been building since midway through the first quarter.
Air Force had other plans coming out of the half. Utah State struck first and had a two-point lead as late as the 6:13 mark, before Madison Smith passed the Aggies with a three-pointer. That three turned into another, and then into a 22-0 run that sprawled into the fourth quarter. Utah State’s early six points were the only six points it recorded in the quarter, and it was badly outscored, 24-6, in the frame – collapsing from a one-point lead to a 17-point deficit.
By the time Utah State got back on track in the fourth quarter, it was too late. The Falcon lead peaked at 22, and after Logwood broke up the extended run with a layup, McNabb issued two layups of her own to go up 61-39. Stubbs hit a free throw and Mia Tarver hit a three to bring the deficit down from the twenties, and though it returned to that range a few more times, the Aggies eventually chipped it to 12 before the buzzer sounded.
After a massive performance from the team’s freshmen in the win over San Jose State, the upperclassmen did the heavy lifting against Air Force. Stubbs had 21 points, leading the way, while Heaton and Tarver had 10 points each. The leading freshman was Livingston with eight points. Though Stubbs wasn’t in the starting lineup, she played 37 minutes after missing the San Jose State game with a wrist injury. Her 21-point performance was a game-high and she also had two rebounds, three assists, and three steals. She only gave away three turnovers and one foul while shooting 7 of 14 from the field, 4 of 8 from deep, and 3 of 4 from the line.
Heaton and Tarver, each with 10 points, were tied as the second-leading scorers on the team. Heaton went 5 of 9 from the field and had eight rebounds, four assists and a block. Tarver was similarly efficient and shot 4 of 5 from the field (2 of 3 from deep) with three rebounds, five assists and a steal. Tanedo pitched in to help her fellow upperclassmen and had a great scoring performance in her seven minutes, logging six points (2 of 3 from the field and 1 of 2 from deep).
Latta and Logwood remained in the starting lineup and were the only two freshmen to get the nod against the Academy. Latta finished the game with seven points, a rebound and an assist while Logwood had two points, three rebounds and a steal.
It’s a story that has been told before, but Utah State was doomed, really, by just one stretch of bad basketball. The Aggies overcame their early foibles and even took a decent lead after coming back, but they couldn’t overcome taking the third quarter off. Even an average performance during the frame puts the Aggies in a position to succeed. Outside of the third quarter, Utah State actually outscored the Falcons, 60-54. The Aggies looked competitive with the Falcons, and at times looked like the better team.
Utah State will have to wait for a chance to prove that, though, and doesn’t get a rematch until Feb. 19 in the Spectrum. Utah State’s job gets much, much tougher for its next trip onto the floor, as it hosts UNLV on Wednesday. Just about the only good news about the Runnin Rebels coming to town is the fact that it will be Utah State’s only matchup with the MWC's unquestioned power program in the regular season.