LOGAN, Utah – Utah State women's basketball continues its month-long stretch away from home by taking on Grand Canyon on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Sunday's game against Grand Canyon will be available for streaming on ESPN+. Radio coverage for all games will be provided on 107.7 FM, with Ajay Salvesen on the call. Links to live stats for all games will be available on utahstateaggies.com, while updates will also be provided through the team's social media outlets.
 
AGGIES VS EVERYONE
Utah State and Grand Canyon will meet for the first time on Sunday. The Antelopes moved up to the Division-I level as members of the WAC in 2013-14, the first season following USU's departure from the WAC to the Mountain West. The Aggies have an all-time record of 22-16 against current WAC members, including winning records against all three in-state WAC foes: Utah Valley (10-7), Southern Utah (5-4) and Utah Tech (3-2).
 
ON THE UPSWING
Utah State ranks at the top of the Mountain West and near the top of the nation in several year-over-year improvements from the 2023-24 season. This season, the Aggies are averaging 7.1 more points per game than last year, the largest jump in the MW. USU also has stolen 6.6 more steals per game and forced 8.3 more turnovers per game this season than last, both the largest jump among MW teams and the fifth-largest jump in the nation. Other year-over-year improvements from the Aggies include 9.5 more possessions per game (first in MW, fourth in nation), 11.0 more field goal attempts per game (first in MW, third in nation), 3.5 more made 3-point field goals per game (first in MW, sixth in nation), 14.4 more 3-point attempts per game (first in MW, second in nation) and a 15.4 percent increase in 3-point rate (first in MW, second in nation).
 
I AM SPEED
The Aggies currently rank as the fastest team in the Mountain West and the 10th-fastest in the nation, averaging 80.0 possessions per 40 minutes. New Mexico ranks second in the MW with 73.8 possessions per 40 minutes, while Niagara currently leads the nation with 87.6 possessions per 40 minutes. 
 
OUTSIZED EFFECT
Utah State is one of only six teams in the nation that boasts two guards that have hauled in at least 19 offensive rebounds on the season. Junior guard Jamisyn Heaton leads the Aggies with 6.4 boards per game and has brought down 20 offensive rebounds, while freshman guard/forward Taliyah Logwood has corralled 19 offensive rebounds this season. Only Columbia, Duke, Harvard, Kansas City and Yale also boast two guards with 19 offensive boards apiece this season.
 
LET IT FLY
Utah State is currently seventh in the nation with 31.2 attempts from 3-point range per game this season. The Aggies also rank 36th nationally with 8.3 made 3-pointers per game. USU's 3-point rate (the number of 3-point attempts relative to a team's total field goal attempts) of 42.8 percent also ranks first in the MW and 11th nationally. Colorado State ranks second in the MW with 40.4 percent and Lipscomb ranks first nationally with a 3-point rate of 46.3 percent. Individually, Tarver ranks third in the Mountain West among players with at least 5 3-point attempts per game with a 35.4 percent mark from behind the arc. 
 
FREEBIES
After a slow start from the charity stripe to begin the season, the Aggies have shot 76.3 percent (29-of-38) from the free throw line over the past three games, a mark which would rank second in the Mountain West over the full season. Heaton has led the charge for the Aggies, shooting a perfect 10-for-10 on FTs in the last three contests. Heaton now ranks ninth in the MW with a FT percentage of 72.2 on the year.
 
HEATON UP
Heaton recorded her first career double-double against Omaha, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Aggies. Utah State has two double-doubles on the season as Stubbs recorded her third career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds against CSUN.
 
STOLEN GOODS
Mia Tarver came away with a career-high seven steals against CSUN, a feat only accomplished 28 times previously by a total of 19 players in school history. Only four players have recorded at least seven steals in on game since the program's reinstatement in 2003 (Elise Nelson twice, Alice Coddington twice, Jenna Johnson, Danyelle Snelgro). Tarver's seven steals are tied for the 14th-most all-time for a single game at Utah State. Tarver currently ranks fourth in the MW with 2.4 steals per game. Stubbs and Logwood rank close behind at fifth and sixth in the MW, respectively, with 2.3 and 2.2 steals per game. As a team, the Aggies have been a steals machine to start the season, ranking 29th nationally and second in the Mountain West with 12.3 steals per contest.
 
AROUND THE (NATION) IN (34) DAYS
Following Utah State's game against Cal State Bakersfield in the Spectrum on Nov. 14, the Aggies hit the road for their next eight games. In total, USU will have 34 days before their next home game against UC Riverside on Dec. 18. This gap is the sixth-longest in the nation this season, ranking behind Columbia (47 days), UC Irvine (46), Texas A&M-Commerce (45), Stephen F. Austin (40) and William & Mary (35). By total road and neutral games played between home games, Utah State's eight games is tied for the longest streak in the nation alongside Stephen F. Austin. 
 
STARTER JACKETS
Utah State returns two full-time starters from last year in senior guards Cheyenne Stubbs and Ivory Finley. The Aggies also return a further two players with starting experience. Senior guard/forward Samiana Suguturaga started the final 13 games of the 2023-24 season, while senior forward Allyzee Verdan made nine total starts on the year, including each of the last seven games.
 
INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS
Last season, Stubbs put up one of the top-scoring seasons in program history. Stubbs finished the season with 482 points, passing Devyn Christensen (2011-12) and Ashlee Brown (2011-12) to move into eighth all-time at USU. 
 
                Rk          Player                                 Year                     Points
                6.            Funda Nakkasoglu     2014-15              504
                7.            April Hatch                      1983-84             487
                8.            Cheyenne Stubbs     2023-24             482
                9.            Ashlee Brown                 2011-12              468
                10.         Devyn Christensen     2011-12              467
 
Stubbs' average of 16.1 points per game narrowly missed the all-time top-10 at USU. However, Stubbs did break into the top-10 in several other categories for a single season, including 3-pointers made (fifth, 59) and attempted (fourth, 174). Stubbs led the Aggies in scoring in 22 games on the year, the most times as USU's leading scorer in a single season since Funda Nakkasoglu had 25 team-leading outings in 2015-16. 
 
EN FUEGO
Stubbs recorded a pair of 30-point games in 2023-24, becoming just the 19th player in program history to ever top the 30-point plateau, and only the 12th to do so in multiple games. Stubbs posted a career-high 32 points in Utah State's win at Nevada on Jan. 31, going 10-of-24 shooting (.417) from the floor, 2-of-8 shooting (.250) from 3-point range and 10-of-14 shooting (.714) from the charity stripe. Against UNLV, Stubbs also finished with 30 points on 7-15 shooting (.467), including a 5-9 performance from deep (.556), and went (11-14) from the free throw line. She is just the 10th Aggie with multiple 30-point games in the same season. In total, Utah State has seen 48 games in which an Aggie has hit 30 points or more. Stubbs' 32 points against Nevada are tied for the 20th-most in a game in Aggie history. 
 
BLOCK PARTY
Utah State freshman forward Gracie Johnson is one of just four players in program history to have three games with five or more blocks in a season. Additionally, she became just the second freshman to ever do so, joining all-time program block leader Deja Mason. With eight blocks against Boise State, Johnson tied the all-time program record for blocks in a single game. Johnson finished the season with 36 blocks and now has 45 for her career, needing only 22 more to break into the top-10 all-time at Utah State.
 
KEEP AN EYE ON THIS
Senior guard Cheyenne Stubbs needs only 13 more appearances to qualify for Utah State's all-time career socring average list (50 games minimum). Stubbs' current scoring average of 15.4 points per game in an Aggie uniform would rank fourth all-time in program history.
 
TOP SCORERS
Utah State returns its top scorer from 25 of 31 games last season, including the team's exhibition. Stubbs led the Aggies with 22 games as the leading scorer last season, while each of senior forrward Allyzee Verdan, senior guard/forward Samiana Suguturaga and senior guard Ivory Finley each recorded one game as USU's leading scorer.
 
WELL-TRAVELED
Utah State has players from eight different states on its roster, plus three international players in senior forward Allyzee Verdan (French Guiana), junior forward/center Sophie Sene (France) and freshman guard Denae Skelton (Canada). This is the most international players on USU's roster since fielding four such players in 2019-20. Utah (four) and Idaho (three) are the only states from which multiple Aggies hail. This is the first time Utah has been the most populous state on USU's roster since the 2021-22 season.
 
TRUE BLUE AGGIES
This year's team has a pair of players with family ties to Utah State. Senior guard/forward Samiana Suguturaga is the daughter of former Aggie football player Jay Suguturaga, who played tight end at USU from 2000-01. Additionally, sophomore forward Gracie Johnson's older brother, Isaac, is currently a junior on the Utah State men's basketball team. Johnson's father, Darren, played for the USU men's team in 1990-91, while her grandfather, Ronald, also played at Utah State. 
 
NEW TEAM, WHO DIS?
The Aggies welcome 10 newcomers to the 2024-25 squad. Utah State brings in three transfers in juniors Sophie Sene (Rhode Island), Mia Tarver (Salt Lake CC) and Jamisyn Heaton (College of Southern Idaho). USU brings in a total of seven freshmen, including Ava Smith (Camas, Washington), Denae Skelton (West Kelowna, B.C., Canada), Riley Ward (Preston, Idaho), Carlie Latta (Paul, Idaho), Karlie Banks (Laclede, Idaho), Elise Livingston (Millville, Utah) and Taliyah Logwood (Richmond, California).
 
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
Several players have family ties to athletes who have played at the collegiate level, with several also playing professionally. Freshman guard/foward Taliyah Logwood has a pair of cousins in Brian Johnson and Raelon Singleton who each played football at Utah, with Brian Johnson also now serving as an assistant head coach and passing game coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the NFL. Freshman guard Elise Livingston's sister, Erin, played volleyball for four years at BYU and signed with the Las Vegas Thrill of the Pro Volleyball Federation.  Freshman guard Ava Smith's father, Matthew, played football and won an NAIA Division II national title at Central Washington University. Freshman guard Denae Skelton's brother, Kaeden, played basketball for the University of British Columbia in Okanagan. Freshman guard Carlie Latta's sister, Aubrie Vale, played basketball at Westminster in 2019. Both senior guard/forward Samiana Suguturaga and sophomore forward Gracie Johnson have aforementioned ties to Utah State, while Johnson also has an older brother, Spencer, who played basketball at BYU.
 
DE LA GUYANE FRANÇAISE À LOGAN
Utah State senior forward Allyzee Verdan joined the Aggies all the way from her home country of French Guiana, a small South American country bordering Brazil to the north. She is one of just two French Guiana natives in Division I women's basketball, along with Duquesne's Raymi Couëta.
 
Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2024-25 schedule are available now. Fans can make a deposit to save their seat here or by calling the USU Ticket Office at (435) 797-0305.
 
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 -