GAME NOTES | WATCH | LIVE STATS
LOGAN, Utah - Utah State women's basketball (2-3, 0-0 MW) tips off the conference portion of its 2020-21 campaign as the Aggies head on the road for a two game series against San José State (1-0, 0-0 MWC) on Monday, Dec. 21, at 6 p.m., and Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 1 p.m. Games will be played at GCU Arena on the campus of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., due to a Santa Clara County ban on public gatherings.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Radio coverage for the game will be provided by 92.3 KBLU-LP with Jaden Johnson on the call. The contest can be seen on The Mountain West Network. Live stats and play-by-play information will be available through StatBroadcast. Links to each option will be available online prior to the game.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Utah State leads the all-time series, 18-13, with the two teams meeting each of the past 15 seasons. San José State swept the series in 2019-20, winning in Logan, 76-61, and in San Jose, 76-38. The Spartans finished the 2019-20 campaign with a 19-12 overall mark, and a 12-6 record in league play to finish the season third in the Mountain West. This season, San José State played just one game before having its remaining four non-conference contests canceled.
In 2019-20, the Spartans averaged 74.7 points per game, shooting 41.5 percent (832-of-2006) from the field, 36.5 percent (244-of-669) from behind the 3-point line and 76.5 percent (408-of-533) at the free throw line. Junior guard Ayzhiana Basallo led SJSU's scorers, averaging 18.5 points per game, while also leading the squad with 133 assists on the season. Senior forward Tyra Whitehead led all players on the glass with 10.1 rebounds per game.
Defensively last season, the Spartans allowed 70.9 points per game, with opponents shooting 39.5 percent (819-of-2076) from the field, 29.0 percent (208-of-717) from behind the arc and 69.2 percent (353-of-510) at the free throw line. Whitehead led the team in both steals and blocks with 68 and 36, respectively.
A WALK-OFF BLOCK
Utah State's 68-65 win over UTEP came down to a dramatic finish at the buzzer. With just over 30 seconds remaining, junior forward Bre Mathews hit a layup to put the Aggies up by two. Then, as the clock ticked down to zeroes senior guard Emmie Harris recorded what was just the 12th block of her career to prevent a shot that could have potentially forced overtime.
HOME SWEET...HOME?
Due to COVID-19 public health protocols set by Santa Clara County which have put a restriction on public gatherings in San Jose, this week's series against the Spartans will be played in Phoenix on the campus of Grand Canyon University, where the San José State men's and women's programs have relocated for the forseeable future.
LETTING 'EM FLY
Utah State has scored eight 3-pointers in each of its past two games, and is coming off of a season-best shooting performance of 40.0 percent from outside the arc. Last season, the Aggies had eight or more threes just six times.
I'll TAKE THAT
The Aggies currently rank first in the Mountain West and 19th in the nation in defensive rebounds with 32.8 defensive boards per game. They also rank third in the conference in total rebounds per game (43.8). Against UTEP, Utah State had a season-best rebounding margin, outrebounding the Miners, 37-24.
AGGIES IN THE GRAND CANYON STATE
In its history, USU has played just 20 games in the state of Arizona. The Aggies have a record of 11-9 in those games, though this will be the first time the team has ever made a trip to Phoenix.
UTAH STATE IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
This week's games against San José State will be the first of conference play for the Aggies. Historically in conference openers, USU is 13-15 all-time, though just 2-5 since joining the Mountain West. Utah State opened conference play in 2019-20 against San José State as well, a 76-61 loss.
THE GRADUATE FACTOR
Utah State graduate forward Jessica Chatman has made an immediate impact on the team, transferring in from Southern Utah back in April. Through the first five games of the season, Chatman leads the team in both scoring (14.2) and rebounding (8.8), and has recorded at least 10 points and seven boards in every game.
