WBB Review: Another Disastrous Quarter Dooms Aggies

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Utah State fought back from a 23-point deficit, pulling back within one point in the fourth quarter, but could not overcome a woeful second quarter and ultimately fell short 84-76. The Aggies were without leading scorer Cheyenne Stubbs as they took on the Stetson Hatters, and while they fared well for most of the game, they certainly could have used her scoring in the eight-point loss.

The Aggies started strong, outpacing the Hatters and winning the first quarter 19-17. Then, they had their obligatory one-quarter meltdown. Two quick threes forced Wes Brooks to call a timeout to stop the bleeding with 9:17 left in the second frame. It didn’t work, and the Hatters came out of the timeout and knocked down back-to-back threes again, forcing Brooks to call another timeout. The Aggies were still unable to stop the bleeding, and the Hatters added four more points to cap off a 16-0 run to open the quarter, taking a 33-19 lead.

Utah State finally got on the board in the second stanza when Jamisyn Heaton netted a pair of free throws, but the Hatters kept rolling. They scored seven more points to take a 19-point lead before Utah State hit its first field goal, a layup from Samiana Suguturaga. Stetson pushed to a 23-point lead, its largest of the game, with just over two minutes in the quarter. Mia Tarver hit a free throw and Heaton added a three-pointer and a layup to help the Aggies close the quarter with six straight points. Utah State did get around to scoring 14 points in the quarter but gave up a total of 33, and limped into the half with a score of 50-33.

As they have done all year, the Aggies cleanly contained the free fall to one quarter. After the break, they were a new team. Stetson jumped to a 20-point lead but quickly started to cede ground as Sophie Sene hit a layup, Heaton added another and Elise Livingston knocked down a big three-pointer. The Aggies, still trailing by a hearty 13 points, were alive and moving. Taliyah Logwood kept it going when she hit a layup and Heaton knocked down a three, giving the Aggies a 12-0 run and an eight-point game.

Stetson woke up and hit a layup, but Tarver responded with a three, chipping another point off the Stetson lead and making it 57-50. The Hatters worked their way back to a 10-point lead, but Gracie Johnson hit a layup and stole the ball away on Stetson’s next possession. She found Danae Sketon for a big-time three-pointer to make it a five-point game. The Hatters hit another pair of free throws, but Skelton struck again with another three to put the finishing touches on a huge frame for the Aggies – Utah State came into the quarter down by 17 and after a 25-12 effort, trailed by just four entering the final period.

After a disastrous second quarter, everything was going Utah State's way. They found a rhythm from deep and hit five threes on 10 attempts. They grabbed 12 rebounds, edging Stetson by a board. They also had eight assists to three turnovers, three steals and a block. The Aggies, without their leading scorer, were relying on a different cast. They got big plays out of Sene, Heaton, Johnson and Tarver while a freshman core of Livingston, Logwood and Skelton proved crucial to the 13-point advantage in the third quarter.

Utah State kept driving and Carlie Latta hit a three-pointer to open the final quarter to make it a one-point game, nearly erasing that debilitating 23-point deficit from the second quarter. The Hatters hit a pair of free throws to put more than a point between them and the Aggies before Logwood hit a free throw of her own, but she could only bring the Aggies back within two. Heaton grabbed an offensive board and got fouled as she put the ball back up and in for a big three-point play a few minutes later to make it a two-point game after a brief Stetson scoring spurt, but that was the closest the Aggies could get.

The Aggies, once again, were doomed by one terrible period, although this one looked a bit different as they scored 14 points rather than the three they put up against Colorado a few games back. Utah State spotted the Hatters a 19-point difference in the second quarter but still made it a close game while playing without Stubbs, with Sene working her way back from an injury, and with Tarver, Logwood and Johnson all in foul trouble. Outside of that quarter, the Aggies played solid basketball and outscored Stetson 62-51.

At this point in the season, it's hard not to be impressed by the team's refusal to give up on games. They've shown an incredible ability to ignore the scoreboard and play themselves back into games after being counted out. It would be great if that level of resilience wasn’t necessary, but it's a strong indicator of the team’s character.

The Aggies ended up with 42 rebounds, 15 assists to 16 turnovers, 13 steals and one block. They had a few impressive performers with Heaton leading the way, scoring 16 points to go with eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Logwood had 11 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Tarver added 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, Sene had ten points and four rebounds, and Livingston finished with seven points, two rebounds and four assists. Neither Latta nor Skelton took a shot from inside the arc, as the former scored nine points with an assist and three steals and the latter recorded six points and two rebounds.

Next up for Utah State is another one of Brooks’ former teams. Playing in the Delta Center on Wednesday night, the Aggies will face the University of Utah, where Brooks spent two seasons under former head coach Lynne Roberts, who just left Utah to take over the LA Sparks. Utah is 6-2 on the year and fresh off a massive 78-67 victory over No. 3 Notre Dame.