Feb. 1, 2009

Box Score

FRESNO, Calif. - A career-high from senior forward Shawnta Pope was not enough as Utah State dropped a, 68-59, decision to Fresno State in Fresno. The Aggies were out-rebounded 48-27 in the loss.

The Aggies have now lost two-straight games after winning three consecutive. USU is 10-12 overall and 4-5 in the Western Athletic Conference, while the second-place Bulldogs are now 15-6 and 5-2 in league play.

Sophomore guard Hayley Munro had a career-high 28 points to help the Bulldogs stop the Aggies. Munro was also the leader on the boards with nine. Both Bailey Amundsen and Jaleesa Ross scored a dozen points for Fresno State.

Three different Utah State players scored in double figures with Pope leading the way with 15 points. Senior guards Danyelle Snelgro and Ana Pares both scored 10 points. This is the 13th-straight game that Pares has scored in double digits. On the boards, Pope was again the leader coming one rebound away from a double-double with nine boards.

One of the differences in the game was the Bulldogs' 24-6 lead in second-chance points. The Aggies were also hurt by only making it to the free throw line four times. In the last two games, USU has only made it to the free throw line six times. The Bulldogs out-scored the Aggies 39-26 in the second half.

It was a see-saw battle to start the first half with three ties in the first five minutes. Despite a height disadvantage, Fresno State took the early rebound advantage, out-rebounding the Aggies 13-5 in the first 10 minutes of the game. Fresno State would end the half with more offensive rebounds than USU would have total rebounds.

Behind six-first half points from Johnson, the Aggies entered the locker room with a 33-29 lead. In the first half, the Aggies were led by a pair of seniors. Guard Ana Pares scored eight points in the first half, while forward Shawnta Pope dished in seven points. Junior forward Nicole Johnson had six of USU's 15 first-half rebounds.

Sophomore Hayley Munro was the bulk of the offense for the Bulldogs in the first half, scoring 16 points. She was 9-of-11 from the free throw line passing her previous career high of eight made free throws.

The sharp-shooting Bulldogs were only 2-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first stanza, but started the second half strong making thee quick three-pointers to jump out to a quick four-point lead. Fresno State would end the game 8-of-22 from three.

Fresno State took control late in the second half taking a 10-point lead with six minutes remaining in the game. The defending WAC Tournament champions used a 10-0 run to finally shaky the pesky Aggies for good. The run was sparked by back-to-back threes from Jaleesa Ross and Bailey Amundsen. For the game, Utah State shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field and 41.7 percent (5-of-12) from three. From the free throw line, the Aggies shot 100 percent (4-of-4). Fresno State shot 37.5 (24-of-64) from the field and 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were solid from the free throw line, shooting 75.0 (12-of-16).

USU will not see the court again until Sunday, Feb. 8 when the Aggies travel to Reno to take on first-place Nevada. The Wolf Pack are the only undefeated team remaining in the WAC with a 6-0 record.

All Utah State games can be heard on KLGN (1390 AM) in Logan with Evan Nyman calling the play-by-play and Ashley Rutledge providing color commentary for home games. They can also be heard on the web by going to the Utah State Athletics home page at www.UtahStateAggies.com.

Live stats will be available for all home Utah State women's basketball games through the women's basketball page on www.utahstateaggies.com, by clicking on GameTracker in the current events box. All home games can be viewed by clicking on "Watch Live", while they can be heard by clicking on "Listen Live." Both can be accessed on www.utahstateaggies.com on the front page or the women's basketball page.