LAS VEGAS – Utah State women's basketball's season came to a close with a 66-59 loss to No. 7-seeded Air Force in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament at Thomas & Mack Center.
The Falcons made the first move, opening up the game with a 12-4 run and leading by as many as 14 early in the second quarter. Freshman guard
Carlie Latta paced the Aggie offense early, scoring 10 of USU's first 16 points to help Utah State stay connected to the Falcons. The Aggies clawed back in the latter half of the second quarter, with senior guard
Cheyenne Stubbs leading the charge with a 3-pointer and a pair of mid-range jumpers as part of a personal 8-2 run to bring Utah State within six at 32-26 heading into halftime.
After climbing back into the contest, however, Air Force used a 7-0 run to begin the third quarter to rebuild a double-digit lead. As they have all season, Utah State battled back as a pair of Stubbs free throws preceded two layups from freshman guard/forward
Taliyah Logwood to bring the Aggies back within six.
The push-and-pull continued as the Falcons used a 9-2 run to rebuild a 13-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. USU opened the final frame on a 7-0 burst to again come within six points of the lead with seven minutes remaining. The Aggies could not pull closer, however, until Latta hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to five with 2:27 left.
In the final minute, Utah State pieced together a furious comeback, capped by another Latta 3-pointer that brought the Aggies within three points with 36 seconds remaining. USU received the ball following two missed FTs from the Falcons but was unable to complete the magical comeback on the offensive end, allowing AF to then melt the game away at the charity stripe.
Stubbs led the Aggies with 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting, also going 3-of-8 from behind the arc, and recorded her fourth career double-double with a career-high 14 rebounds. Latta added 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 4-of-8 mark from 3-point range. Logwood also finished in double figures with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting along with six rebounds and a team-high three steals. Junior guard
Jamisyn Heaton led USU with four assists.
The Aggies shot 21-of-68 (30.9 percent) from the floor and 7-of-28 (25.0) percent from 3, also going 10-of-12 (83.3) percent from the FT line. USU held a 45-44 edge in rebounding for the game and held a 17-12 advantage in points scored off the bench.
Utah State finished the season with a 4-27 overall record and placed 10th in the Mountain West standings with a 3-15 record during conference play.
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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