Final Stats
LOGAN, Utah –
Utah State women’s basketball rallied from a 20-point second-half deficit, but couldn’t take the lead on its final possession in a 70-69 exhibition loss to Fort Lewis College on Monday night inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Utah State trailed 50-30 with 2:56 to play in the third quarter, before it closed the period on a 13-2 run to get within nine at 52-43. The Aggies continued to chip away and cut the deficit four points at 58-54 with 5:19 to play. FLC pushed its advantage back to eight several times and lead 68-60 with 2:23 remaining. USU made one final push with a 9-2 run and had the ball with a chance to win the game in the final 27 seconds, but missed its last three shots.
Senior forward Allyzeee Verdan led four Aggies in double-figures with 15 points. Junior guard Skye Miller finished with a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, to go along with five assists, while fellow junior guard Cheyenne Stubbs added 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Livia Knapp also scored 11 points.
Kelsey Sorenson led Fort Lewis with a game-high 23 points, to go along with eight rebounds and six steals, as the Skyhawks had four double-digit scorers.
Fort Lewis raced out to a 22-8 lead after the first quarter as Utah State committed 12 turnovers in the first 10 minutes. After the rough start, the Aggies outscored the Skyhawks 12-10 in the second quarter, 23-20 in the third and 26-18 in the fourth quarter.
Utah State finished the game shooting 37.9 percent (25-of-66), including 40.0 percent (4-of-10) from behind the 3-point arc, but was just 57.7 percent (15-of-26) at the charity stripe. Fort Lewis shot 34.5 percent overall (20-of-58), including 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from deep, and was 23-of-30 (.767) at the free throw line.
Utah State had 17 assists, 26 turnovers, 12 steals and three blocked shots in the contest, while Fort Lewis had 10 assists, 24 turnovers, 16 steals and seven blocked shots. USU also had a 49-39 advantage on the glass, including an 18-10 edge on the offensive boards.
Up Next
Utah State will officially begin its 2023-24 season on Monday, Nov. 6, when it plays at Cal State Northridge at 7 p.m. (MT).
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.