LOGAN, Utah – Utah State women's basketball lost to New Mexico, 101-79, on Tuesday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
 
The matchup pitted the two fastest teams in the Mountain West against each other, as Utah State and New Mexico rank first and second, respectively, with 75.2 and 74.0 possessions per game. That pace was evident as the teams sprung out to a 7-7 score within the first three minutes of the game. A 19-3 Lobo run then turned the momentum to the visitors, though the Aggies responded with a 6-0 stretch to close out the first quarter, courtesy of a pair of 3-pointers from freshman guard Denae Skelton.
 
USU continued to claw back in the second frame, cutting the deficit to six points following a layup from senior guard Cheyenne Stubbs. After UNM re-extended the lead back to double digits, the Aggies again answered with a quarter-ending run, this time scoring the final five points of the half. Stubbs beat the buzzer to send USU into halftime down, 48-38.
 
Utah State's momentum persisted through halftime as the Aggies extended the run to 9-0 after layups from junior center Sophie Sene and freshman guard Ava Smith. Minutes later, USU trimmed the deficit down to four points following a 9-2 stretch featuring a pair of 3s from freshman guard Elise Livingston surrounding another 3-pointer from Skelton. After coming as close as 58-54, however, the Lobos responded with a 12-3 burst to effectively close the door on the Aggie comeback. Utah State fought throughout the final frame to stage another comeback but was unable to trim the Lobo advantage down to single digits.
 
The Aggies finished with 13 3-pointers as a team, one shy of the program record of 14, achieved twice during the 2012-13 season. USU's 13 3s are the most by the team since hitting 13 against Wyoming in January of 2022. Utah State finished shooting 26-of-67 (38.8 percent) from the field and 13-of-42 (31.0 percent) from behind the arc. The Aggies also shot 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) from the free throw line. As a team, USU recorded 15 assists, reaching the 15-assist plateau in back-to-back games for the first time since March of 2022.
 
Stubbs led USU with 24 points on 7-of-17 shooting, also going 7-of-8 from the free throw line and adding a team-high four assists and three rebounds. Livingston added 14 points while shooting 4-of-10 from 3-point range, and junior guard Jamisyn Heaton finished with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting plus a 5-of-6 mark from the line. Skelton also scored 12 points off the bench, going 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Sene narrowly missed making it five Aggies in double figures, scoring eight points on 4-of-5 shooting. Sene and Heaton also tied for the team lead both with four rebounds and one block apiece, while Sene also led the team with three steals.
 
UP NEXT
Utah State heads westward to California to take on San José State on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m. MT.
 
Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2024-25 schedule are available now. Fans can purchase tickets 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.
 
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