Utah State women's basketball (3-3) continues its nonconference schedule with a split week at home and on the road. First, the Aggies will host Dixie State (2-3) on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 11 a.m. (MT). USU will then head on the road to take on UTEP (5-1) on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 1 p.m. (MT).
HOW TO FOLLOW
Radio coverage for Saturday's game will be provided by 92.3 KBLU with Ajay Salvesen and AJ Knight on the call. Live stats and play-by-play information will be available through Sidearm, while updates will also be provided through the team's social media outlets. Links to each option will be available online prior to the game.
AGGIES VERSUS THE TRAILBLAZERS
Tuesday will be the fourth meeting between Utah State and Dixie State. The Aggies are 2-1 in the previous three meetings versus the Trailblazers and have won each of the past two. USU won the last meeting, 61-49, on Dec. 2, 2019.
SCOUTING THE TRAILBLAZERS
Dixie State is 2-3 to begin the 2021-22 season with wins over the NAIA's Life Pacific and Antelope Valley. The Trailblazers went 1-2 in a COVID-shortened 2020-21 season and went 18-12 in 2019-20, including a 12-10 mark in their last season in D-II's RMAC. This year, the Trailblazers are averaging 65.8 points per game while shooting 39.0 percent (124-318), 30.1 percent (55-183) from 3-point range and 66.7 percent (26-39) from the free throw line. Opponents have managed 66.8 points per game against Dixie State while shooting 35.3 percent (127-360) from the field and 28.7 percent (33-115) from behind the 3-point line. The Trailblazers have turned the ball over 15.8 times per game while forcing 8.8 turnovers per game from their opponents.
Junior guard Breaunna Gillen leads the Trailblazers in both points and assists, averaging 16.2 points and 5.8 assists per game to start the season, also adding 7.8 rebounds per contest. Sophomore forward Emily Isaacson is Dixie State's leading rebounder with 9.0 boards per game while adding 12.8 points. Freshman guard Maddie Warren is DSU's last scorer in double figures at 11.2 alongside 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
AGGIES VERSUS MINERS
Saturday will be the seventh meeting between Utah State and UTEP with the Aggies being undefeated in the previous six meetings. Only one of those meetings has come since the revival of Utah State women's basketball, however, as USU defeated UTEP, 68-65, on Dec. 13, 2020.
SCOUTING THE MINERS
The Miners stand at 5-1 on the young season after finishing 17-8 a year ago, including 13-5 in Conference USA. UTEP touts wins over Incarnate Word, North Dakota, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona and Seattle so far in 2021-22. The Miners are currently averaging 72.5 points per game while holding opponents to 62.8. UTEP is shooting 43.4 percent (159-366) from the floor, 30.9 percent (38-123) from 3-point range and 69.9 percent (79-113) on free throws. Opponents have shot 46.8 percent (139-297) from the field and 35.4 percent (34-96) on 3-pointers versus the Miners. UTEP has forced 21.2 turnovers per game while coughing up possession an average of 16.7 times per game.
Junior guard Destiny Thurman leads the Miners with 15.3 points per game while shooting 44.6 percent (33-74) from the field and 40.0 percent (14-35) from 3-point territory. Sophomore guard Katia Gallegos averages 11.3 points per game along with 3.3 rebounds team-highs both with 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Freshman forward Elina Arike is UTEP's top rebounder at 8.8 rebounds per game, also adding 8.0 points per contest. Sophomore guard Avery Crouse is the Miners' third scorer in double digits, averaging 10.0 points with 3.8 rebounds per game.
AGGIE RETURNERS
Utah State returns eight letterwinners from last year's squad. Headlining the returners include senior Emmie Harris, who averaged 8.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in 22 contests. Junior Faith Brantley also returns having averaged 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game a season ago. Sophomore guard Meagan Mendazona also returns her 6.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Junior Shyla Latone is USU's leading returning scorer at 9.7 points per game across 24 contests. Other returners for Utah State include sophomore Halle Nelson (4.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg), junior Kamalu Kamakawiwo'ole (4.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 apg), sophomore Kinley Falslev (3.4 ppg) and senior Taylor Franson (2.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg). In all, USU returns 65 percent of last season's scoring, 55 percent of last season's rebounds, and 80 percent of last season's assists. Over 68 percent of all minutes played during the 2020-21 season return again for the Aggies this year.
TRANSFER-MATION COMPLETE
Utah State added six new faces to the 2021-22 roster via transfer. Sophomore Olivia Wikstrom joins the Aggies after playing her freshman year at Northern Colorado. Junior Adryana Quezada comes to Logan after two years at UTSA. Senior E'Lease Stafford joins USU after three years at East Tennessee State. USU also brings in two transfers from Murray State in seniors Manna Mensah and Laci Hawthorne. Senior Kaylin Randhawa also joins the team after spending three seasons at Pacific.
WELCOME TO THE PARTY
The Aggies made several changes to the coaching staff for the 2021-22 season. Jauwan Scaife remains as assistant coach while also taking on the responsibility of recruiting coordinator. Taylor Ignoto officially joins the staff as an assistant coach after spending last season as director of basketball operations. Marc Wilson also joins as an assistant coach, bringing 21 years of Division-I coaching experience with him. Claire Gritt makes her coaching debut as graduate manager after concluding her playing career at Denver, which included three seasons under current USU head coach Kayla Ard.
PACIFIC PIPELINE
Utah State's 2021-22 roster presents a plethora of Pacific flair, with six players joining USU from Pacific-coast states (Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii). Junior Faith Brantley (Tacoma) and sophomore Olivia Wikstrom (Bainbridge Island) call Washington home. Junior Shyla Latone (San Diego) and senior Kaylin Randhawa (Turlock) come from California. Sophomore Meagan Mendazona (Monmouth) represents Oregon while junior Kamalu Kamakawiwo'ole hails from Hawaii.
HOME GROWN
Utah State has four players from the state of Utah in senior forward Taylor Franson (American Fork, Utah), sophomores Halle Nelson (American Fork, Utah) and Kinley Falslev (Benson, Utah), and redshirt freshman Amit Lustgarten (Salt Lake City, Utah).
CLOSING IN ON HISTORY
Senior guard Emmie Harris enters this week's play having suited up 116 times for the Aggies, placing her one game behind Devyn Christensen for eighth all-time in Utah State history. Harris will have the chance to pass numerous Aggies this season given good health. Former USU standouts Hailey Bassett, Rachel Brewster and Jennifer Schlott hold the all-time record with 126 games played in an Aggie uniform.
HIGH FLYERS
Through six games, Utah State's scoring average of 71.7 points per game would qualify as the program's seventh-highest season average and the highest mark since averaging 77.3 points per game in the 2013-14 season. In the Aggies' first two games of the year, an 83-78 win over Westminster followed by an 85-75 victory of Cal State Fullerton, Utah State topped the 80-point plateau in consecutive games for the first time since reaching the marks versus UC Irvine and Dixie State in November of 2017.
THREE'S COMPANY
Utah State is currently shooting 34.8 percent from 3-point range this season which would be the second-best 3-point shooting percentage in Aggie history, trailing the mark of 38.4 percent set in 2011-12. The Aggies have converted 8.0 3-pointers per game so far this season which would set a new program-record for team 3-pointers per game.
FREE FOR THE TAKING
Kaylin Randhawa is currently ranked ninth nationally in total made free throws made and tied for 25th in free throw attempts, also ranking second and tied for first in the Mountain West in the respective categories. The senior from Turlock, California, has made 34-of-39 free throws this season. Randhawa's FT percentage of 87.2 percent is tied for 62nd nationally and ranks sixth in the MW. Sophomore Olivia Wikstrom also ranks 10th in the MW for free throw percentage (72.2 percent). As a team, Utah State ranks first in the Mountain West for both total free throw attempts (131) and makes (98) while ranking 45th and 27th in the same categories nationally, respectively. The Aggies' current mark of 74.8 percent on free throws would also rank fifth all-time in program history.
RAIN MAKER
With seven 3-pointers versus Southeastern Louisiana, junior Shyla Latone now has three of the top eight performances from behind the arc in Utah State history and two of the top three. The native of San Diego, California, also had six made threes at San Diego State on Jan. 14, 2021, and tied Devyn Christensen's program record of nine made 3-pointers versus New Mexico on March 1, 2020.
LEADERS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Several weeks into the 2021-22 campaign, the Aggies find themselves near the top of several statistical categories in the Mountain West. At 71.7points per game, USU boasts the third-highest scoring offense in the conference thus far. The Aggies also rank third in offensive rebounds per game (13.7), second in turnovers forced per game (18.0) and fourth wit 8.8 steals per game.
Individually, senior Kaylin Randhawa ranks second in the MW with 17.2 points per game, placing her 83rd in the nation. Randhawa also ranks third in steals per game (2.3 spg) and sixth in in 3-pointers per game (2.2). Senior Laci Hawthorne ranks third in the MW with 2.5 offensive rebounds per game with junior Adryana Quezada close behind at sixth with 2.2. Quezada and Hawthorne also rank sixth (6.2) and 19th (4.8) in total rebounds per game, respectively. Junior Faith Brantley sits at 10th in the conference with 3.3 assists per game and seventh with a 1.6 assist/turnover ratio.
HIGH SCORES
Last week, junior Faith Brantley matched her previous career-high with seven assists in Utah State's 73-71 win over Southeastern Louisiana. Junior Adryana Quezada also tied a career-high by hitting a 3-pointer versus BYU.
- USU -
https://utahstateaggies.com/news/2021/11/29/womens-basketball-game-notes-utah-state-womens-basketball-sets-for-split-week-of-games.aspx
2021-11-30 01:27:19Z
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