LOGAN, Utah – Against another of the top teams in the Mountain West, Utah State women's basketball battled but ultimately fell to UNLV, 71-60, on Saturday afternoon at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

Senior guard/forward Jamisyn Heaton led the Aggies with a career-high-tying 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting alongside three rebounds, three steals and an assist. Sophomore guard Elise Livingston added 17 points while making a career-high five 3-pointers. Junior guard Aaliyah Gayles finished with eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Sophomore forward Macie Brown played all 40 minutes and ended with three points plus career-highs of six rebounds and four assists.

In a game that featured 14 lead changes, USU hung with the Rebels from the onset as Livingston and senior guard Karyn Sanford each scored five points in the opening frame. Gayles recorded three rebounds and two assists in the first quarter to help keep pace with the Rebels. Midway through the second quarter, Heaton scored seven consecutive points, converting on three free throws and a pair of layups across a two-and-a-half minute stretch. Freshman guard Bella Cosme later added a 3-pointer to cap off a 10-2 stretch to give the Aggies a 35-28 lead, their largest of the contest. 

After Utah State carried a five-point advantage into halftime, the Rebels trimmed the lead to 38-37 before a technical foul on USU then gave the Rebels the lead. The Aggies answered the stretch with a 5-0 burst featuring a pair of Gayles FTs and a 3-pointer by Livingston to again jump in front. 

UNLV then scored nine unanswered to take a lead they would not relinquish again. The Aggies scored the next six points with another Livingston 3-pointer cutting the deficit to a mere point before another run by the Rebels ultimately sealed the contest. USU fought back late with a pair of 3-pointers from Heaton and Gayles to come back within six points but time ultimately ran out on the comeback attempt for the Aggies.

Utah State shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49) from the field and 40.0 percent (10-of-25) from behind the 3-point line. The Aggies also held UNLV to 39.7 percent (23-of-58) shooting overall and 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from 3-point range, both among the six lowest shooting performances by the Rebels this season. USU also recorded 11 assists to UNLVs nine, marking the Aggies' eighth game this season recording more assists than their opponent.

Up Next
Utah State (6-17, 2-12) heads into its lone bye of the conference season before returning to action at home against Fresno State on Sunday, Feb. 15, 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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