AGGIE TIP-OFF
Utah State (0-0, 0-0 MW) officially opens its 2022-23 season with a pair of home games at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. First, the Aggies will host the College of Idaho (0-0, 0-0 CC) on Monday, November 7, at 3 p.m. (MT). USU will then play host to Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, November 11, at 3 p.m. (MT).
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Radio coverage will be provided by 92.3 KBLU with Ajay Salvesen on the call. Live stats and play-by-play information will be available through StatBroadcast, while updates will also be provided through the team's social media outlets. Links to each option will be available online prior to the game.
 
AGGIES VERSUS COYOTES
Monday's game marks the second all-time meeting between Utah State and the College of Idaho. The Coyotes won the first matchup between the teams, 86-81, in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on December 28, 2013. Utah State is 4-1 all-time versus current NAIA opponents with wins over Northern New Mexico College, Midland, Montana Western and Montana State-Northern.
 
AGGIES VERSUS LIONS
Utah State and Southeastern Louisiana will meet for only the second time on Friday after the two sides initially acquainted themselves last season in Hammond, Louisiana, when Utah State won, 73-71, off a game-winning three in the final seconds from former Aggie Kaylin Randhawa. USU is 2-0 all-time versus current Southland opponents, having also defeated Incarnate Word in 2016.
 
SCOUTING THE COYOTES
Head coach Janis Beal is entering her sixth season at the helm of the Coyotes and her 15th year of head coaching overall. The College of Idaho returns three starters and nine letterwinners from a squad which went 16-15 last season, including 10-12 in Cascade Conference play. COI returns its top two scorers from last year in seniors Sienna Riggle and Lexi Mitchell, who averaged 13.2 and 9.4 pointer per game, respectively. The pair were also the leading rebounders for the Coyotes, with Mitchell pulling down 9.8 rebounds per game while Riggle claimed an average of 8.7. Sophomore Taryn Riley returns as the leading assist-woman, having tallied 3.1 assists per game last season. Mitchell led the Coyotes with 30 steals on the year while Riggle led the way with 43 blocks.
 
As a team, the College of Idaho averaged 63.1 points per game while allowing an average of 60.6 points to their opponents. The Coyotes shot 37.9 percent from the floor, 29.8 percent from behind the 3-point line and 66.9 percent from the charity stripe. Opponents managed to shoot 38.0 percent from the field and 27.1 percent from behind the arc. They outrebounded opponents by 7.9 rebounds per game, averaging 43.3 total boards per contest. COI also averaged 12.1 assists, 6.5 steals and 3.1 blocks per contest last season. In their lone game versus a Division-I opponent in 2021-22, COI lost at Idaho State, 91-53. The Coyotes also turned the ball over 17.9 times per game last season while forcing their opponents into 14.5 turnovers per game.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Head coach Ayla Guzzardo enters her sixth year at the head of the Lions with the team coming off a 16-11 record in 2021-22, including a 10-4 mark in the Southland Conference. Southeastern advanced to the championship of the Southland Conference tournament last season before losing, 56-52, to Lamar. The Lions averaged 62.1 points per game while allowing only 54.6 points to their opponents. SLU shot 41.4 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from 3-point range and 64.7 percent from the foul line. Opponents shot only 36.0 percent from the floor and 27.9 percent from 3. Southeastern also rebounded 37.7 boards per game, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 5.6 per contest. The Lions also tallied 13.2 assists, 9.1 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. Additionally, the Lions forced 17.9 turnovers per game while giving up possession themselves 15.1 times per game.
 
The Lions return two starters and seven total letterwinners from last year's squad. Junior Hailey Giaratano is the team's leading returning scorer after ranking second last season with 7.9 points per game. Giaratano also led last year's squad with 3.2 assists per game. Senior Natalie Kelly returns as the team's leading rebounder after ranking second last year with 4.8 rebounds per game. 
 
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
COI junior Emma Anderson hails from Cache Valley and played her high school career at Ridgeline High School in Millville, Utah. The Coyotes also boast three other players from Utah in senior Sienna Riggle (Stansbury Park HS), sophomore Averee Porter (Fremont HS) and freshman Mia Austin (Fremont HS). 
 
ICYMI
The Aggies defeated Fort Lewis College, 74-45, in an exhibition contest on Friday, Oct. 28. Junior Tamiah Robinson led USU with 19 points alongside five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Graduate senior Abby Wahl posted a double-double featuring 10 points and 15 rebounds. Graduate senior Maria Carvalho and sophomore Cristina Oliva also reached double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Utah State outrebounded the Skyhawks, 52-41. USU led by as many as 39 points during the victory.
 
WELL TRAVELED
Utah State has players from nine different states on its roster, plus one international player in graduate senior Maria Carvalho. Additionally, the Aggies have no more than two players from any given state with Utah State possessing two players each from Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington.
 
WHAT'S RETURNING?
USU returns two letterwinners from last year's squad in juniors Kinley Falslev-Wickizer and Olivia Wikstrom. Falslev-Wickizer returns after averaging 1.8 points per game and shooting 14-43 (.326) on 3-pointers last season. Wikstrom averaged 4.5 points per game in addition to 2.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.9 steals per game.
 
TRANSFER-MATION COMPLETE
The Aggies welcome nine transfers in advance of the 2022-23 season. Utah State brings in four graduate transfers in Prima Chellis (SIU Edwardsville), Maria Carvalho (Utah Valley), Mayson Kimball (Merrimack College) and Abby Wahl (Eastern Illinois). A further two seniors join USU this season in Olivia Mason (Niagara) and Ashya Klopfenstein (Robert Morris). Tamiah Robinson (Labette Community College), Cristina Oliva (Sierra College) and Lillian Harris (CCBC Essex) also join Utah State after beginning their collegiate careers elsewhere.
 
USU also has three freshmen joining the roster for 2022-23 in Isabella Tañedo (Laurel, Maryland), Tiairra Hill-Brown (Las Vegas,Nevada) and Natalie Fraley (Kelso, Washington).
 
PUTTING IN THE ARD WORK
Utah State head coach Kayla Ard has put in a record of 8-10 in nonconference play across her first two seasons at the helm of the Aggies, the best record by an Aggie coach in nonconference play in their first two seasons since Cindy Perkins in 1978-80.
 
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