LAS VEGAS – Utah State women's basketball fought tooth and nail against league-leading UNLV before ultimately falling to the Rebels, 69-58, on Wednesday night at Cox Pavilion.

The Aggies opened with the game's first four points off layups from sophomore guard Elise Livingston and senior center Sophie Sene. UNLV then took the lead before extending it beyond double digits with a 13-2 run. After trailing by as many as 16, though, the Aggies battled back, using an 11-4 stretch to cut the deficit to single digits. Senior guard Marina Asensio and freshman guard Paloma Munoz Herreros each hit a pair of 3-pointers in the latter half of the second quarter to help USU keep contact with the Rebels before a final jumper from UNLV sent the home team into halftime with a 39-28 lead.

The Aggie defense tightened in the second quarter, holding the Rebels to 33.3 percent (8-of-24) from the floor while the offense went 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) in the frame, including a 4-of-7 showing from 3-point range.

Asensio continued her hot shooting with another 3-pointer to open the second half, following it up with a mid-range jumper to cut UNLV's lead to six points. Sene answered a Rebel bucket with a layup at the other end to again cut the deficit to six before UNLV responded with a 7-0 burst to re-extend their advantage into double digits.

Utah State fought valiantly in pursuit of a comeback before another triple by Asensio kickstarted a 7-0 burst to bring the Aggies back within eight at 66-58 with less than three minutes remaining. Senior guard Karyn Sanford added a bucket and Sene made two free throws to help USU's final attempt to rally. Several efforts to further cut the deficit came up empty, however, as the Rebels closed out the 69-58 win.

Asensio led the Aggies with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including four 3-pointers, also adding three assists and two steals before exiting late due to injury. Sene finished with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting and recorded her second double-double in the past three games with 10 rebounds. Munoz Herreros tied her career high with 12 points and added two rebounds and an assist. Senior guard/forward Jamisyn Heaton added eight points plus six rebounds and a team-high three steals.

USU shot 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the field and 25.0 percent (7-of-28) from 3-point range while holding UNLV, who entered the game leading the MW in both overall and 3-point field goal percentage, to 41.9 percent (26-of-62) from the field and 27.3 percent (6-of-22) from behind the arc. The Aggies also held advantages in bench scoring, 18-5, and forced the Rebels into 17 turnovers while surrendering possession only 10 times themselves.

Up Next
The Aggies (6-8, 2-3) face another of the remaining unbeaten teams in Mountain West play, hosting San Diego State on Saturday at 1 p.m. (MT), at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

Tickets
Season tickets, mini-plans and single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here or by visiting the USU Ticket Office.

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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