LOGAN, Utah – Utah State women's basketball senior guards Aaliyah Gayles and Lisa Thompson were named to the Pac-12 Preseason Impact List, the league announced on Thursday. The Impact List was selected by the conference's nine head coaches.

Gayles enters her second season at USU after leading the team with 12.2 points per game last year. In addition to begin the team's leading scorer, Gayles is also the team's top returner from last season in rebounds (4.2 per game), assists (2.0), steals (1.6) and blocks (0.3). She posted a team-high 15 double-digit scoring games in 2026-27, including a career-high 24 against Grand Canyon and another 20-point performance at San Diego, and recorded her first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Air Force. A former McDonald's All-American and the No. 8-ranked recruit coming out of high school, Gayles spent her first three seasons at USC before transferring to Utah State before last season.

Thompson arrives to Logan after spending her first three seasons at Missouri and Rutgers. in 2025-26 for the Tigers, Thompson appeared in 32 games and made 10 starts, averaging 3.9 points per game alongside 1.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists while helping Missouri earn a berth in the WBIT. She scored a season-high 14 points in only 15 minutes of play while adding two rebounds and an assist against Georgia. Thompson spent her first two seasons at Rutgers where she appeared in 58 games with 33 starts, averaging 5.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. She scored in double figures in nine games as a freshman in 2023-24, including a career-best 17 points versus Northwestern and twice hitting 16 points against Saint Francis (PA) and Purdue.

NEXT UP
Utah State begins its 2026-27 campaign at home against Westminster on Monday, Nov. 2, at 4 p.m. (MT).

TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through the USU Online 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.

- USU -