March 6, 2008

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

LOGAN, Utah - A 13-2 run midway through the second half was too much for Utah State to overcome as the Aggies were bucked by the Broncos of Boise State, 65-57, Thursday in Western Athletic Conference women's basketball action at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

USU lost its second in a row after a three-game win streak and now has a 9-18 overall and 5-10 WAC record. The win clinches at least a share of the WAC title for Boise State and is the Broncos' 14th-consecutive win in improving to 22-6 overall and 14-2 in league play.

The Broncos also sweep the season-series with the Aggies, as Boise State has now won 10 in a row against Utah State, improving its series lead to 13-2.

Senior forward Jenny Gross posted her second double-double of the season, both coming against Boise State, and the third of her career with 12 points. Gross tied classmate and guard Jamelah Brown with 11 rebounds each as Brown recorded a new career-high. It was Gross' eighth double-figure point outing in a row and 12th in last 14 games.

The Aggies' third senior, guard Taylor Richards netted a team-high 14 points, including nine in the second half. Richards also swiped a career-high six steals, giving her 169 for her career and moving her within six of the school record held by Margaret Johns (1980-83) with 175. Richards already is the Aggies' career record holder for assists (363 after Thursday) and three-pointers, as she hit her 91st career trey Thursday.

Boise State was led by Tasha Harris' 18 points while Jackie Lee tossed in 13 points as well as snaring a team-leading nine rebounds. Lee drained four three-pointers while Jamia Malone hit three treys, all during Boise State's game-clinching 13-2 run.

USU battled back from down by as much as 13 in the first half to take its only lead of the game at 41-40 after a three-pointer by Brown at the 12:04 mark, but Malone spearheaded the rally to regain the lead for the Broncos and clinch the win.

Boise State took its largest lead of 13 at 20-7 on a Harris layup with 9:20 on the first-half clock. However a USU freshmen revolution led an Aggie charge as first-year guards Jade Hatchett and Amber White had intense defense on one end while providing key offense on the other, as White had a slashing drive and assist on a Gross layup. Hatchett later drained a trey from the left corner to pull USU within 20-17. That shot prompted a Boise State timeout with 7:14 left in the first stanza.

The Broncos regained control and took a 28-26 intermission advantage before the Aggies mounted their charge.

On the night, Utah State shot 21-of-64 (32.8 percent) from the field, including 5-of-14 (35.7 percent) behind the three-point arc. USU also was 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) at the free throw line.

Boise State shot better from three-point range (38.1 percent, 8-of-21) than it did overall field goal shooting (35.6 percent, 21-of-59). The Broncos also were 15-of-20 (75.0 percent) at the charity stripe, securing the victory by hitting six of their eight free throws in the final 51 seconds of play.

USU out-rebounded BSU, 45-42, marking the fourth time this season that the Aggies have had more rebounds than their opposition but lost, falling to 1-4 when doing so.

Boise State had a 27-14 advantage in points off turnovers, as Utah State commited 25 miscues, the most since 28 at Portland in the second game of the season on Nov. 16.

The Aggies host Idaho on Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Saturday is "Senior Night" as Utah State will honor its three seniors, Brown, Gross and Richards, in a pre-game ceremony.

Saturday is the first time that Utah State has ended regular-season action at home since the program's first year of reinstatement, 2003-04, which was also against Idaho. Overall, it is just the seventh time in the program's 20 years that USU has ended the regular-season at home.

Aggie women's basketball tickets are available through the USU Ticket Office at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, online at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on "tickets" in left column, or by calling or (435) 797-0305 or 1-888-U-STATE-1 (1-888-878-2831).

The USU Athletic Department is inviting International students to Saturday's game. All International students will receive free admission along with their immediate family by presenting the coupon e-mailed to them.

All Aggies women's basketball games can be heard on KLGN (1390 AM) in Logan with Evan Nyman calling the play-by-play and former USU women's basketball player Ashley Rutledge will be providing color commentary for home games. They can also be heard on the web through Yahoo! Sports, by going to the Utah State Athletics home page at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on the Yahoo! Sports link in the right hand column.