Aggie Tip-Off
Utah State women's basketball (3-11, 0-3 MW) continues its 2023-24 campaign this week as the Aggies hit the road to face New Mexico (10-5, 1-1 MW) on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. (MT), in Albuquerque, New Mexico, followed by a contest at Fresno State on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 3 p.m. in Fresno, California.
How to Follow
Radio coverage for all games will be provided on 107.7 FM, with Ajay Salvesen on the call. Live stats and streaming information will be available on utahstateaggies.com, while updates will also be provided through the team's social media outlets.
Scouting the Lobos
• New Mexico is 10-5 this season and is off to a 1-1 start to league play with a 69-59 win over Nevada and a 64-56 loss to Boise State.
• Junior forward Paula Reus leads the team scoring with 12.4 points per outing. Graduate center Charlotte Kohl averages a team-best 8.3 boards, while junior guard Aniyah Augmon leads the squad with 3.8 assists per contest.
• The Lobos average 64.0 points while allowing 60.1 points per outing.
Scouting the Bulldogs
• Fresno State is 9-7 this season and is off to a 2-1 start to league play with wins over Air Force and San José State and a loss to San Diego State.
• Sophomore forward Mia Jacobs leads the team in both scoring and rebounds this year with 13.3 points and 6.5 boards per game. Freshman guard Taija Sta. Maria averages a team-best 4.1 assists per contest.
• The Bulldogs average 68.1 points while allowing 62.1 points per outing.
Series History
• Utah State and New Mexico have met up 35 times in a series dating back to 1974.
• New Mexico leads the all-time series 28-7 and has won each of the past 16 meetings. Utah State's last win in the series came in 2016 in Logan.
• Last year, the Lobos swept the series, winning 60-98 in Logan and 111-55 in Albuquerque.
• Utah State and Fresno State have met up 36 times in a series dating back to 2006.
• Fresno State leads the all-time series 29-7, but USU has won three of the past four meetings.
• Last year, USU won 68-58 in Fresno, and Fresno State won 76-61 in Logan.
Last Time Out
• Utah State fell at home on Saturday afternoon, suffering a 69-54 loss to San José State.
• The Aggies got off to a strong start but fell behind as the Spartans bridged the first and second quarters with a 24-6 run. After bringing the game back within two possessions by halftime, Utah State was unable to close the remainder of the gap.
• USU was led by junior guard Cheyenne Stubbs, who went for team-highs of 17 points and four assists. Junior guard/forward Samiana Suguturaga scored a career-high 12 points, while freshman center Lauren Crocker brought down a career-high 11 rebounds.
Perimeter Protection
One of the strengths of the Aggie defense this year has been on the perimeter, where USU is holding opponents to just 30.1 percent (101-of-336). This ranks fifth-best in the Mountain West this year and is on track to be the best by a Utah State team since the 2006-07 season (.278).
Freshman Firepower
• After not seeing any action in the first five games of the year, the freshman trio of guard Ali Wetta and forwards Lauren Crocker and Gracie Johnson have each emerged as strong role players for the team.
• The trio have each averaged at least 12 minutes per contest the past three games.
• Against San José State, Crocker made her first career start and brought down a team-high 11 boards, just the second Aggie player this season to have 10 or more.
• Against Wyoming, Johnson went for eight points, five rebounds and three blocks, all career highs.
30-Point Club
• Cheyenne Stubbs went off in Utah State's game at UNLV on Dec. 30, finishing with a career-high 30 points in the contest on 7-of-15 shooting (.467) from the floor, 5-of-9 shooting (.556) from 3-point range and 11-of-14 shooting (.786) from the charity stripe.
• She is just the 19th player in USU program history to score 30 or more points in a game, and is the first to do so since Adryana Quezada on Jan. 9, 2022.
• She is also just the 13th player in program history to make five 3-pointers in a game.
Catching On
Utah State junior guard Macy Smith has found her rhythm in recent games. After missing several games and playing limited minutes due to injury early this season, the CSUN transfer is averaging 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 31.3 minutes the past four games.
Chey's On Fire
• Cheyenne Stubbs is Utah State's top scorer this year and has emerged as one of the league's top offensive threats.
• The 5-foot-5 junior enters the week averaging a team-best 15.2 points per contest, third-most in the Mountain West. She also leads the team in assists (2.4) and steals (1.7) per game, while bringing down 4.1 rebounds per contest.
• Stubbs has scored in double-figures in 11 of 14 games this year, while scoring 20-plus on three occasions.
Spreading the Wealth
All 15 rostered players for Utah State have made appearances in games this season, while nine different players have appeared in four different USU starting lineups. Additionally, 10 players average at least 10 minutes per game, while 14 of the 15 average at least five.
Up Next
Following this week's games, the Aggies return home to host Nevada on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m., then travel to take on Boise State on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 3 p.m.
