AGGIE TIP-OFF

Utah State women's basketball (4-24, 1-16 MW) concludes their 2022-23 regular season as they host San Jose State (4-24, 2-15 MW) Thursday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m. inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah.

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 Sidearm, 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 SPARTANS

Utah State and San Jose State will play for the 35th time on Saturday with USU leading the all-time series, 19-15, including 12-3 inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Spartans and Aggies met on January 21 in San Jose California where SJSU came away with a 77-59 victory. From 2008-2012 USU previously won 10 straight against SJSU and 14 of 16 extending through 2015, before the Spartans won 4 of the last 5 meetings.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

Head coach April Phillips is in her first season at San Jose State and her first season as head coach at a Division-I program. Phillips did serve as an associate head coach at Loyola Marymount and as and as an assistant coach at Texas, Cal and Arizona prior to become head coach at SJSU. This season, the Spartans are off to a 4-24 overall record, including 1-12 on the road and 2-15 in Mountain West play. SJSU is averaging 56.9 points per game and has allowed 68.2 points per game to its opponents. The Spartans have shot 37.2 percent from the field (578-1554), 28.7 percent from behind the arc (120-418) and 67.4 percent on free throws (318-472). Opponents have shot 44.3 percent overall (649-1464) and 32.8 percent on 3-point attempts (192-of-586). The Spartans have been outrebounded by an average of 2.7 rebounds per game while collecting 32.7 boards per contest. San Jose State has garnered 8.0 assists to 18.3 turnovers per game and have forced opponents into 18.6 turnovers per contest.

Jada Holland leads the Spartans in both scoring with 10.9 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game, while Marisa Davis-Jones is averaging 10.7 points per game and a team best 6.1 rebounds per game and Amhyia Moreland leads the way with 0.9 blocks per contest. 

TOURNAMENT MATCHUP

Utah State faced San Jose State in the first round of the 2015 Mountain West Tournament. The Aggies were defeated by the Spartans 99-85. Sophomore forward Funda Nakkasoglu scored a game high 26 points, adding eight rebounds and seven assists, while freshman forward Tilar Clark added 16 points. USU shot 96.3 percent (26-for-27) from the free throw line, the seventh most made free throws made in a single game in program history, and the ninth best free throw percentage (.963) in a single game in school history.

ICYMI

Utah State posted a 0-2 Mountain West record last week, falling to the No. 24 UNLV Rebels (25-2,17-0 MW) 86-32 in Las Vegas, Nevada followed by a 111-55 loss at New Mexico (19-11, 11-6 MW). Against the the Rebels Freshman Natalie Fraley and sophomore Cristina Oliva led the Aggies with seven points apiece. Fraley also tied for the team lead with four rebounds. Freshman Isabella Tañedo led USU with a career-high three assists. USU shot 18.0 percent (11-for-61) from the field, 18.2 percent (6-for-33) from behind the arc, and 57.1 percent (4-for-7) at the free throw line. The Rebels, meanwhile, shot an even 50.0 percent (32-for-64) from the floor with a 33.3 percent (10-for-30) mark from 3-point range and 80.0 percent (12-for-15) from the free throw line. Against the Lobos, Carvalho led USU with 20 points, nine rebounds, and two assists. Graduate forward Mayson Kimball also reached double figures with 11 points. The Aggies shot 30.8 percent (20-for-65) from the floor,  23.3 percent (7-for-30) from 3-point range and 72.7 percent (8-for-11) at the free throw line. UNM shot 54.8 percent (40-for-73) from the field, 48.5 percent (16-for-33) from the arc, and 83.3 percent (15-for-18) from the charity stripe.

GONE IN 60... POINTS

Utah State is undefeated this season when holding its opponent under 60 points. The Aggies are 3-0 in such contests with wins over the College of Idaho (75-58), Utah Valley (65-55) and Fresno State (68-58). USU is also 3-2 when holding its opponent below 36.0 percent shooting from the field, with wins against Fresno State, UVU and Weber State.

SPREADING IT AROUND

Utah State has had eight different players lead the team in scoring so far this season. Freshman guard Natalie Fraley, sophomore guard Cristina Oliva, graduate guards Maria Carvalho and Mayson Kimball, graduate forward Ashya Klopfenstein, and junior guards Tamiah Robinson and Olivia Wikstrom have each led the Aggies in points this season with Robinson leading the way with six games under her belt as USU's leading scorer. Additionally, the Aggies have had 54 instances of a players scoring 10 or more points this season with eight different players so far accomplishing the feat. Carvalho currently leads the team with 14 double-digit scoring games, while Robinson has 13 double-digit scoring games

RANGEFINDERS

• Utah State went 8-16 on 3-point attempts versus Southeastern Louisiana, the first time the team has shot 50 percent or better from behind the arc since shooting 13-24 (54.2 percent) in a 76-66 win versus Wyoming on January 22, 2022.

• Graduate guard Mayson Kimball became the first Aggie in program history to go 5-for-5 from behind the 3-point line in a single game, achieving the feat against Southeastern Louisiana. Freshman guard Natalie Fraley then matched the accomplishment versus San Jose State. Prior to Kimball and Fraley, only five Aggies had managed to go 4-for-4 from 3-point range in a single game in Utah State history.

ARE WE SURE WE HATE MONDAYS?

After their 68-58 win at Fresno State, the Aggies are now 2-0 when playing on Mondays this season. Additionally, Utah State is 4-4 when shooting better from 3-point territory than their opponent, 3-3 when recording fewer turnovers and are an undefeated 2-0 when scoring 70 points or more.

SENIOR DAY

USU will honor six Seniors who are ending their Aggie careers in Maria Carvalho (Lisbon,  Portugal), Kinley Falslev-Wickizer (Benson, Utah), Olivia Mason (Kenneth Square, Pennsylvania), Mayson Kimball (Webster, New Hampshire), Abby Wahl (Santa Claus, Indiana), Ashya Klopfenstein (Howe, Indiana).

DOUBLING UP

Both Tamiah Robinson and and Olivia Wikstrom recorded a double-double in USU's game versus Arkansas State, the first time two Aggies have registered double-doubles in the same game since Hailey Bassett (18/12) and Shannon Dufficy (14/12) accomplished the feat against Colorado State on January 19, 2019. Robinson finished with 10 points and 10 assists while Wikstrom recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds. USU'S most recent double-double came courtesy of a 14-point, 11-rebound outing from graduate senior Maria Carvalho against Colorado State.

FULL-TIME WORKER

Graduate guard Maria Carvalho played all 40 minutes versus Southeastern Louisiana, the first Aggie to not leave the floor in a game this season. Last year, USU had five instances where a player played all 40 minutes of a game. Carvalho currently is ninth in the conference in minutes played at 32.5 minutes per contest.

COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING

Utah State ranks among the upper half of the Mountain West in several statistics, including 3-point field goals per game (6.7, 3rd), free throws attempted per game (18.3, 3rd), free throws made per game (13.6, 3rd), offensive rebounds per game (11.1, T-4th), turnovers forced per game (15.8, 4th) and steals per game (8.5, 5th). In conference play, the Aggies also rank first in free throws attempted and made per game at 19.5 and 15.0, respectively. Individually, junior Tamiah Robinson ranks in the top 25 in the Mountain West in assists per game (2.9, 10th), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0, 9th), rebounds per game (5.3, 16th), offensive rebounds per game (1.0, 21st), defensive rebounds per game (3.5, 17th), steals per game (1.3, T-19th), blocks per game (0.6, T-11th) and minutes per game (29.3, 20th). Additionally, Robinson also ranks T-6th in MW play for blocks per game with 0.9 rejections per contest. Graduate guard Maria Carvalho is currently 16th in scoring (10.9 points per game), T-14th with 1.2 3-point field goals per game, 11th with 5.2 rebounds per game, T-15th with 1.6 offensive rebounds per game, 13th with 4.0 defensive rebounds per game, T-14th with 2.3 assists per game, T-15th with 1.5 steals per game and sixth with 32.4 minutes per game. Graduate guard Mayson Kimball ranks T-17th with 1.1 made threes per game. Junior guard Olivia Wikstrom is T-19th with 1.0 made 3-pointers per game and T-19th with 1.3 steals per game. Senior forward Ashya Klopfenstein ranks among the conference's best during MW action, ranking in the top 25 in rebounds per game (4.7, 25th), offensive rebounds per game (1.3, T-18th), defensive rebounds per game (3.3, T-21st), blocks per game (0.6, T-12th) and ranks second in free throw percentage (84.4 percent). Freshman guard Natalie Fraley ranks T-19th with 1.0 made 3s and T-18th with 0.5 blocks per game during MW play.

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.

TRANS-FORMATION COMPLETE

The Aggies welcome eight transfers in advance of the 2022-23 season. Utah State brings in four graduate transfers in 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).

AND...HERE. WE. GO!

The Mountain West Conference Women's Basketball Championships begin next Sunday, March 5. Utah State is currently in 11th place in the MW standings. If the tournament were to begin now, the Aggies would face Boise State on Sunday at 7 p.m. PST. Since their arrival into the Mountain West Conference (2013-14), USU is 6-9 all-time in the tournament and have advanced to the second round six out of nine years.

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