SAN JOSÉ, California – Utah State women's basketball secured its first conference victory of the season, defeating San José State, 70-64, on Saturday afternoon at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
 
Head coach Wesley Brooks
"I'm just very proud of the team. We've been working hard to break through and we finally did. It was really nice to do a couple things we've really worked hard at. We were 13-of-16 from the free throw line. Elise was 8-of-8 from the free throw line and a lot of those were down the stretch which was huge. Taliyah had a huge game playing in front of a lot of her family, her being from Oakland. To come back from injury and score 17 with 11 rebounds was tremendous. I'm just really proud of the whole team's effort. We just want to go 1-0 the rest of the season and this was a great step toward doing that. And we'll continue to improve and get better as we go on."
 
The Aggies leapt out of the gates with a 17-4 run over the first eight minutes of the game. USU forced five turnovers while freshman guard/forward Taliyah Logwood scored seven points to power the run. Logwood finished with 10 points in the opening quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers. Both junior center Sophie Sene and freshman guard Carlie Latta hit triples in the first quarter as USU hit four of their first nine shots from behind the arc.
 
The Spartans fought back, however, cutting Utah State's lead back to single digits with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the opening frame. SJSU stretched the run to 22-8 to grab the lead midway through the second quarter. The Aggies immediately wrestled the lead back via a Logwood layup succeeded by a steal and basket from junior guard Mia Tarver. Junior guard Jamisyn Heaton hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half to give USU a 32-29 advantage heading into halftime.
 
Both sides fought valiantly in the third quarter as neither side led by more than five points during the period. Entering the fourth quarter with a three-point lead, the Aggies broke that five-point barrier following buckets from Heaton and freshman guard Elise Livingston to go up 55-48. SJSU responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 55 before Livingston embarked on a personal 4-0 run with two free throws and a fastbreak layup. The Spartans again stormed back to tie it before Heaton found Latta in the corner for the go-ahead triple.
 
From there, the Aggies iced the game away from the free throw line, led by Livingston's 8-of-8 performance from the line in the last four minutes. USU's defense also held firm during the stretch as the Aggies held the Spartans to 2-of-11 shooting during the crucial 10-0 run to take the win.
 
Livingston led the Aggies with a career-high 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including going 2-of-5 from deep in addition to her perfect 8-of-8 mark from the charity stripe. Logwood, from nearby Richmond, California, also recorded career-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds to record her first career double-double. Heaton finished in double figures with 10 points and fell one rebound short of her second double-double of the season. Heaton also led the team with four assists while each of Heaton, Livingston, Logwood and Tarver tied for the team lead with two steals apiece.
 
Utah State shot 35.8 percent (24-of-67) from the field and 31.0 percent (9-of-29) from 3-point range. The Aggies also shot 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the FT line. USU outscored the Spartans, 21-16, in points off turnovers and also held an 18-13 advantage in second-chance points.
 
UP NEXT
The Aggies remain on the road to take on Air Force (11-9, 1-7 MW) on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 6:30 p.m.
 
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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