LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Utah State women's basketball (8-22, 2-16 MW) became the first No. 11 seed in Mountain West Women's Basketball Championship history to win a tournament game with a 81-79 overtime victory over No. 6 San Diego State (14-17, 9-9 MW) in the first round of the 2020 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Women's Basketball Championships inside the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sunday night.

Senior forward Hailey Bassett led the Aggies with a career-high 29 points. Sophomore guard Steph Gorman and senior guard Lindsey Jensen-Baker also scored in double figures with 17 and 14 points, respectively. Redshirt sophomore guard/forward Taylor Franson led the Aggies on the boards with nine rebounds, while Gorman led in assists with a career high of seven.

Utah State made 11 3-pointers in the contest to tie for the fifth-most in MW Women's Basketball Championship history and recorded the most makes since Fresno State vs. Nevada on March 14, 2014. It was just the fifth game in MW Women's Basketball Championship history to go into overtime, and was the first overtime contest since Colorado State vs. Wyoming in 2014. 

Utah State never trailed in the game as the Aggies led for 37:30 and the game was tied for seven and a half minutes. The game was tight, with the teams tied at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter. USU held SDSU scoreless for the last 2:41 of the second quarter to take a 34-25 lead into the half. Utah State extended its lead to 15, 40-25, with 9:14 to go in the third period after a Bassett and-1 and a Jensen-Baker 3-pointer. San Diego State responded with a 15-4 run to trim the lead to 44-40 with 3:09 to play in the third quarter. The Aggies kept their distance, however, leading 54-47 heading into the fourth stanza.

San Diego State cut the lead to two, 55-53, with 7:50 to play in regulation. Utah State extended its lead back out to double figures, 63-53, after buckets from Gorman and Bassett with 6:27 on the clock. The Aztecs went on to tie it at 63-63 with 3:07 to go. Both teams scored four points in the final three minutes of regulation to tie 67-67 and force overtime.

The Aggies scored the first five points of overtime after free throws from Bassett and a Jensen-Baker and-1 to lead, 72-67, with 4:13 remaining. SDSU tied it up at 74-74 with 2:34 to go. Bassett scored the final seven points for the Aggies as she knocked down a 3-pointer to give USU the 77-74 edge and made a pair of free throws for the 79-76 USU lead with 26 seconds left to play. SDSU tied it back up with a 3-pointer, 79-79, with 25 seconds on the clock. USU called a timeout to advance the ball and Bassett knocked down the jumper with three seconds to go to secure the 81-79 overtime win.

San Diego State was led by redshirt senior guard Taylor Kalmer with 22 points.

USU shot 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from the field, 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from behind the arc and 76.9 percent (20-of-26) at the free throw line. SDSU shot 39.4 percent (28-of-71) from the floor, 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from behind the 3-point line and 88.9 percent (16-of-18) at the free throw line.

Utah State will next face No. 3 Wyoming (16-11, 12-6 MW) in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 2, at 9:30 p.m. (MT). 

Fans can follow USU women's basketball on Twitter, @USUWBasketball, on Instagram, @USUWBasketball, as well as on Facebook, at /USUWBB. Aggie fans can also follow Utah State Athletics on Twitter, @USUAthletics, on Instagram, @USUAthletics and on Facebook at /USUAthletics. Fans can also keep up with USU Athletics by downloading the official Utah State Athletics app.

-USU-