WBB Preview: Utah State Returns Home For Matchup With Omaha

Utah State is back in the Spectrum on Saturday morning after a hard-nosed 68-65 victory over Cal State Bakersfield, and slated to host a struggling Omaha squad led by first-year head coach Jamie Carey.

The Mavericks are 1-3 after losses to Kansas State, Utah Tech and BYU. They beat the College of St. Mary in their second game of the season, but are on a two-game losing streak entering this bout. They played Utah Tech close, falling by a score of 62-56, but got blown out 100-47 by BYU. It was their second time this season allowing 100 points, and in both games, they failed to reach 50 in response.

Like the game against Bakersfield, Utah State should be favored against Omaha. Also like Bakersfield, that doesn’t mean anything yet for Wes Brooks' group. The Aggies are still building, and they're in a very fragile place on that path. They have plenty of talent and, especially with a win under their belt, some confidence. They need to tap into that confidence to fulfill it, but they can’t get ahead of the process. As they realized in California’s high desert, that includes a lot of gritty wins that are closer than they probably should be.

This is the smallest team Utah State has faced so far. The Mavericks have four six-footers, but only two play, and nobody on the roster stands taller than 6-2. It's the first time Utah State will have a clear and significant size advantage all season (and probably a lot longer than that). Based on how Utah State’s six-footers played last game, that could play a big role.

Sophie Sene was prolific against Bakersfield. She spent 24 minutes bullying the Roadrunners with meticulous and physical play on both ends of the court, earning herself 18 points with a 10-of-10 shooting performance at the line, seven rebounds, an assist and a steal. Karyn Sanford had 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting with five rebounds and two assists, and Rachel Wilson led the second unit with five points, two rebounds and two assists.

The Aggies also enjoyed a spectacular performance from standout guard Aaliyah Gayles, whose clutch touch from deep kept Utah State out of dire straits late in the game.

Brooks and Co. are familiar with Omaha. Last year, a massive 26-12 fourth quarter forced overtime, but the Aggies came up just short and lost 79-77 on the road. Although Utah State had a lot of turnover this offseason, its leading scorer is back on the roster. Jamisyn Heaton pulled a double-double in that outing, stacking up a game-high of 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and hoarding another game-high of 12 rebounds. She also dished one assist, swiped three steals and blocked two shots before fouling out. Sene also played well in last year' meeting, adding nine points, seven rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes.

Players To Know

Sarai Estupiñan: Sarai Estupiñan, a 5-5 senior guard who joined Omaha by way of Old Dominion, is still settling into her role as a Maverick. She has posted praiseful but inconsistent performances, though she has been much better after a slow start against Kansas State.

Estupiñan had six points in her debut, but since then is averaging 16.3 with a season-high of 21 against Utah Tech and a full season average of 13.8 PPG. Against the College of St. Mary she was 4 of 6 from deep, but is a combined 2 of 13 outside of that.

She’s coming off a 10-point game against BYU, when she was held to 2-of-12 shooting from the field and 1 of 5 from deep, but still managed 5 of 6 from the free-throw line, where she has been excellent this year. On the season, she carries an 85 percent hit rate at the stripe, plus 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

Cora Olsen: Outside of a slow start to the season when she notched just seven points against K-State, Cora Olsen has been consistently dangerous. The junior, a returning starter from last year's squad, has been in double digits ever since then, averaging 19.3 points in her next three games and 16.3 on the season with a season-high against the College of St. Mary.

In that contest, she had 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 shooting from the three-point line, plus five rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes. An Omaha native, Olsen is in her third season as a Maverick. Last season, she posted a team-high of 16 points with three rebounds, two assists and three steals against the Aggies. In addition to her scoring, Olsen is chipping in 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from distance.

Avril Smith: Avril Smith is a freshman out of Omaha, Nebraska, and has already become one of Omaha’s bigger pieces in the front court. At 6-0, big describes her contribution more than it describes her frame.

She is the team's leading rebounder, with an impressive 11 boards per game. She adds 2.5 points, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. She struggled against BYU and didn’t score while adding three rebounds, one assist and one steal, but she's been solid otherwise in an Omaha frontcourt that needs the stability.