LOGAN, Utah – After some late heroics delivered Utah State women's basketball a road win in their last outing, the Aggies repeated the crunch-time performance for the home crowd on Saturday at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Sophomore guard Elise Livingston hit back-to-back 3-pointers to power an 8-0 closeout run for a 77-69 win over Omaha, sending USU to 2-1 overall on the season.

USU had four players hit double figures in scoring for the first time this season. Junior guard Aaliyah Gayles led the team with 16 points, also adding four rebounds, two steals and a block. Livingston finished with 15 points, including eight in the final two-and-a-half minutes of the game, on 6-of-8 shooting and a 3-of-5 showing from 3-point range. Senior guard Marina Asensio added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-7 from deep, alongside four assists. Senior guard Karyn Sanford was the final Aggie in double figures, posting 11 points plus five rebounds and a team-high six assists and two steals. Senior forward Rachel Wilson led USU with seven rebounds, including three offensive.

The visiting Mavericks jumped out first to begin the game, building a 16-8 lead late in the opening quarter. The Aggies responded with an 11-0 run spanning into the second quarter. Asensio scored four points on the fastbreak during the run before Livingston capped the burst with a 3-pointer to put USU up 19-16. Omaha answered back, however, with a 19-7 stretch to build a nine-point lead, the largest advantage in the game for either side. Utah State closed the gap with a Sanford 3-pointer plus a pair of free throws in the final seconds by Gayles to draw within 35-31 entering the half.

Omaha maintained its lead through much of the third quarter despite solid shooting from the Aggies. USU shot over 50 percent in the frame but could not cut the deficit below four points until a 7-0 burst late in the quarter. Gayles scored a layup and a pair of FTs out of a timeout before Asensio brought Utah State within one point with a 3-pointer off a steal by freshman guard Aitana Rosello Lopez.

The Aggies fully erased the deficit and grabbed the lead early in the fourth quarter off a 3-pointer by Gayles put USU up 59-57. After the Mavericks returned the favor with a 3-pointer to go up by one, Gayles tied the game at 62 before freshman guard Bella Cosme attempted her first and only shot of the game, hitting a 3-pointer from the corner to put Utah State back in front. Sanford pushed the lead to multiple possessions with a driving layup before Omaha trimmed the lead to one with three FTs.

Livingston began to make her mark on the final frame with a jumper in the lane to put the Aggies up 69-66. The Mavericks responded with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 69-69 with under two minutes remaining. The tie lasted only seconds, however, as Asensio found Livingston for a 3-pointer on the left wing to put USU up for good. After a steal on the defensive end by Wilson, Livingston again found herself open for 3, this time on the fastbreak on the right wing to give Utah State a 75-69 lead and force a Maverick timeout.

The Aggie defense also locked in over the final minutes, holding Omaha without a point and to only two attempted shots in the final 1:51 of the game. USU also held the Mavericks to 1-of-8 shooting over the final seven minutes of game time, outscoring the visitors, 16-7, over that time.

Utah State shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the field, including 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from 3-point range. The Aggies also recorded 16 assists while committing only 13 turnovers while holding Omaha to only 12 assists and forcing 16 turnovers, leading to a 20-13 advantage in points off turnovers. The Aggies won the rebounding battle, 38-30, and held edges in fastbreak points (12-2) and bench scoring (28-12).

Up Next
The Aggies head to the road to face future Pac 12 conference-mate Oregon State on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at noon (MT). The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

Tickets
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here or by visiting the USU Ticket Office. Single-game tickets and mini-plans will go on sale at a later date.

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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