LOGAN, Utah. – With the clock winding down and the score knotted at 80 apiece in double overtime, Utah State senior point guard Manna Mensah drove, pulled up and buried the mid-range jumper with 0.9 seconds on the clock. Nevada missed a desperation heave at the buzzer as USU came away with the 82-80 victory inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday.
 
"I knew we had a limited amount of seconds and I just had to go up and make the shot," Mensah said. "We had a lot of grit. We knew we needed a win under our belt, and we went out there and got one. I'm proud of my team."
 
Utah State (9-18, 4-13 MW) had five players score in double figures in the win as junior guard/forward Adryana Quezada had 18 points, Mensah had 12, senior guard Kaylin Randhawa had 12, graduate forward Laci Hawthorne had 12 and senior guard Emmie Harris had 11. Quezada posted her ninth double-double of the season with a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
"We played with a lot of heart," head coach Kayla Ard said. "That was everything I kept talking about in the huddle. All heart. Whoever wanted it more was going to win it. That's the No. 3 team in the conference. Our kids just wanted it. They played with a ton of heart, effort and enthusiasm. Our bench was phenomenal. The energy in this building was so good. The students that came out were awesome. We had a ton of fans. I really appreciate Aggie nation coming out and supporting us. That was a huge contribution to our win today."
 
It was a close game through all 50 minutes of play as neither team led by more than five points. The Aggies led by five twice in the first quarter and ended the stanza with a 21-18 edge.
 
After the Wolf Pack (18-10, 10-6 MW) took a 25-23 lead early in the second period, layups from Quezada and senior guard/forward E'Lease Stafford, as well as two Quezada free throws, gave USU the 29-25 advantage with 3:20 remaining in the stanza. Nevada tied it up at 29-all, but USU closed out the quarter with a 6-2 run to lead 35-31 at the half.
 
The Aggies got off to a slow start in the third quarter as the Wolf Pack led 45-41 with 3:37 remaining. USU bounced back with an 8-2 run to lead 49-47 with less than a minute to go after layups from Harris, Quezada and Randhawa, as well as two Harris free throws. A Nevada jumper tied it up at 49 heading into the fourth.
 
The game continued to go back-and-forth in the fourth as the teams were tied 61-apiece with 47 seconds left on the clock. The Aggies inbounded the ball to Quezada who turned and drove to the hoop to give USU a 63-61 lead with 42 seconds remaining in regulation. Nevada then tied it up with a jumper with 32 seconds remaining.
 
USU had another opportunity to score, but turned the ball over with a shot clock violation with six seconds to go. Nevada called a timeout and advanced the ball. The Wolf Pack looked like they were going to get a wide-open layup under the hoop on the inbounds, but Stafford came over with the big-time block to force overtime.
 
Nevada led for the majority of the first overtime as the Wolf Pack were up 71-67 with 49 seconds on the clock. A layup from junior guard Shyla Latone trimmed the lead to 71-69 with 43 seconds to go. Randhawa then stepped up to the line and converted a pair of free throws to tie it at 71 with 13 seconds left to force double overtime.
 
After being knotted at 74 with 3:10 on the clock, Randhawa pulled up from behind the arc to bury the 3 and Harris knocked down a couple free throws to give USU a 79-74 edge with 2:14 left to play. A 6-1 Wolf Pack run tied things back up at 80 with 41 seconds remaining.
 
Utah State was unable to score on its next possession. Nevada called a timeout with 11 seconds remaining, but the Aggie defense held strong and forced a five-second violation on the inbound for another shot to seal the deal.
 
Mensah subbed into the game as the Aggies inbounded the ball to the senior. She drove and knocked down the mid-range jumper with 0.9 seconds. Nevada's half-court shot fell short as Utah State held on for the 82-80 victory.
 
The victory marked the first double overtime game for the Aggies since USU defeated Nevada 79-76 in Logan on Jan. 2, 2019.
 
Utah State finished the day shooting 46.5 percent (33-of-71) from the field, 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from behind the arc and 68.8 percent (11-of-16) at the free throw line. Nevada shot 40.6 percent (28-of-69) from the floor, 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from behind the 3-point line and 75.0 percent (21-of-28) at the charity stripe.
 
USU is back in the Spectrum on Wednesday, March 2, as the Aggies host Fresno State (11-16, 7-9 MW) at 6 p.m. The game will also serve as USU's Senior Night as Utah State honors seven upperclassmen in Hawthorne, Stafford, Harris, Mensah, Randhawa, Latone and senior forward Taylor Franson.
 
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.
 
– USU –