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LOGAN, Utah - Utah State women's basketball (0-0) officially opens up 2020-21 campaign this week as the Aggies host Montana (0-0) on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 2 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, followed by a trip to Idaho State (0-0) on Saturday, Nov. 28, at Reed Gym in Pocatello, Idaho. 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW 
Radio coverage for both of this week's games will be provided by 92.3 KBLU-LP with Jaden Johnson on the call. Wednesday's game will be broadcast by the Mountain West Network, while Saturday's contest can be seen on PlutoTV. live stats and play-by-play information will be available through Sidearm for Wednesday's game and StatBroadcast for Saturday's contest. Links to each option will be available online prior to the game. 
 
ARD AT WORK 
On March 23, 2020, Utah State University Vice President and Director of Athletics John Hartwell officially introduced Kayla Ard as the ninth head women's basketball coach in its 32 seasons. Ard, a native of Hammond, La., comes to Utah State after spending the past three seasons as the associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator at the University of Denver under Jim Turgeon. 
 
Ard brings 10 years of collegiate experience with her to Utah State, serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Denver, Dayton, Clemson, Troy and Pensacola State. 
 
STARTING OUT STRONG 
Ard has the opportunity to do something that only two previous USU women's basketball head coaches have done before — win her first game at the helm. Historically, USU coaches are 2-6 in their debut appearances, with only Fern Gardner (1974-75) and Cindy Perkins (1978-79) opening their careers with a victory. 
 
YOU'RE HIRED! 
Along with a new head coach, Utah State also welcomes in an entirely new coaching staff this season. Karlie Burris, joins USU as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator after spending the past three seasons in the same role at Cal State Fullerton. Jauwan Scaife and Jeanne Kenney join the staff as assistant coaches after their most recent stops at Murray State and St. Michael (Baton Rouge, La.) High School, respectively. Taylor Ignoto was brought on as the director of basketball operations and special assistant to the head coach. 
 
UTAH STATE IN SEASON OPENERS 
Utah State is 8-22 all-time in season openers. Last season, the Aggies lost at home, 70-64, to Portland in their opening game. 
 
UTAH STATE IN HOME OPENERS 
Utah State is 13-17 all-time in home openers. Though USU fell in last season's home opener against Portland, 64-70, the Aggies have been victorious in five of the last seven opening games inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. 
 
AGGIE RETURNERS 
Utah State returns six letterwinners from the 2019-20 squad, including two starters. Headlining the returners are senior guard Emmie Harris, who averaged 3.8 points per game and totaled 54 assists while making 22 starts during the 2019-20 season, and junior forward Tayor Franson, who averaged 2.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, while also recording 21 blocks. 
 
AGGIE RETURNERS - PART II 
Other returners for Utah State include sophomore guards Faith Brantley, Kamalu Kamakawiwo'ole, Elli Emrich and Jocelyn Polansky. In 2019-20, Brantley started 10 games and averaged 2.2 points per game while dishing out 60 assists, and Kamakawiwo'ole averaged 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest. Emrich averaged 1.0 points and 0.6 rebounds per game, while Polansky had 0.7 points and 0.2 rebounds per game. 
 
FRESH(MEN) FACES 
Utah State welcomes in five freshmen to the 2020-21 roster in guards Meagan Mendazona (Monmouth, Ore.), Kinley Falslev (Benson, Utah) and Amit Lustgarten (Salt Lake City, Utah), as well as guard/forward Halle Nelson (American Fork, Utah) and forward Emily Jarrell (Stanford, Fla.). 
 
WELCOME ABOARD 
Along with the five incoming freshmen, Utah State also brings in four transfer players with immediate eligibility. Junior guard Paris Williams(St. Petersburg, Fla./ Daytona State College), junior guard/forward Monique Pruitt (Chicago, Ill./Wabash Valley College) and junior forward Bre Matthews (Garland, Texas/Ranger College) all join the squad as junior college transfers. Graduate student Jessica Chatman (Ridgefield, Wash./Southern Utah) comes to USU as a graduate transfer. 
 
-USU-