WBB Recap: Aggies Topple Air Force In MWC Opener

LOGAN – Aaliyah Gayles has officially been unleashed on the Mountain West Conference. After her 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists helped lift the Aggies to a 65-53 victory in the opener against Air Force, head coach Wes Brooks had high praise for his star guard.

"I believe we have the best player in the league in Aaliyah Gayles," Brooks said.

Gayles got plenty of help as Utah State won its conference opener for the first time since 2018-19. Sophie Sene continued her heater of a season with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, six rebounds, an assist and a block. She hit one of two attempts from deep, bringing her season total to 9 of 17 on the year.

"Sophie is a versatile post player," Gayles said. "She does not do one thing, she does multiple things at one time. She's very smart and if she doesn't feel comfortable rolling, she will pop a three. How can you guard that? It's a post player that can shoot, it's a post player that can read, and it's a post player that can post. She's a great player."

Utah State had the advantage early, but when a double-digit lead slipped away in the third quarter, the Aggies had to fight to regain control and finish strong. 

"(I'm) very proud of our girls. We battled hard. We played hard," said Brooks. "I always say when you play one of the academies whether it's Air Force, Navy or Army, you have to be disciplined and you have to be efficient. And we were that tonight. So (I'm) really, really proud of our girls."

It was Utah State's second win in a row after a great response to a three-game losing streak, and Utah State is .500 after 10 games for the first time since 2021-22. It also snapped a four-year, nine-game losing streak against the Academy.

"They have a good program over there and Stacy (McIntyre) does a wonderful job. That's a really good win for us and we just have to build on that and keep getting better. It's nice to be 1-0 back to .500, 5-5," Brooks said.

"We really are learning and we really are getting better. That's why you play non-conferences, to get exposed a little bit so that you can do it… We'll keep working on it and keep getting better."

Utah State took over early and led by as many as eight when it built an 18-10 lead early and went on to win the first quarter by five. It was a great start to what Brooks refers to as "winning like an anaconda," which he describes, basically, as winning every quarter by five to seven points.

The Aggies did the same thing in the second, with another anaconda-like seven-point win, giving Utah State a 12-point lead going into the half. USU pushed the lead to 11 when Gayles assisted Sene on a three, then Jamisyn Heaton on a layup for a quick five-point boost. Marissa Hargrave hit a layup for Air Force, then Gayles drilled a buzzer beater from 30 feet to make it a 12-point game at the half.

After their lead evaporated in the third, Gayles took over. With eight points, five rebounds and three fouls drawn, she helped power the Aggies to a 22-point fourth quarter. Alongside her were Elise Livingston, who was the only player to play all 10 minutes in the fourth frame and added three points and a rebound, and Marina Asensio, who had five points, a rebound and an assist. 

Brooks recently had a phone call with John Beilein, and shared what the legendary coach might have thought about the way the Aggies played.

"John Beilein would be really, really proud of this: 21 for 47. He would not be proud of the turnovers, so coach, thank you for the advice and we'll keep going," Brooks said.

Utah State's 44.7 percent shooting clip is already a line that Beilein would approve of, but it’s especially impressive when compared to the 20-of-70 shooting performance the Aggies held the Falcons to, including a 4-of-27 night from deep. The Aggies had less volume from range, but going 42 percent helps make up for it, and the Aggies ended up with an 8-of-19 shooting day from beyond the arc.

Brooks mentioned that Beilein wouldn’t be proud of the turnovers, and there were 18 of them. If the former coach of West Virginia, Michigan and the Cleveland Cavs wouldn't like that, then he really wouldn’t like the turnover differential. Compared to Utah State’s 18 giveaways, Air Force had only nine.

Outside the two main blights on their stat sheet, the turnovers and a 19-10 third-quarter loss, Utah State’s performance left little to be desired. The Aggies outrebounded the Falcons 41-35 and had four blocks, while Air Force had none. The Aggies picked up one extra foul; they had 15 to Air Force’s 14, but they got to the line more often and were better when they were there. The Aggies hit 15 of 18, and Air Force went 9 of 11.

The Aggies also held Milahnie Perry, who was the league’s leading scorer before the contest, to three points on 1-of-15 shooting and only gave her one trip to the free-throw line. Keelie O’Hollaren came off the bench and led the team with 16 points. Emily Adams and Jayda McNabb each scored 10, with McNabb notching a double-double with 10 rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Gayles had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. She’s the first Aggie with those marks since Shannon Duffy in 2019. Sene was the only other Aggie in double figures with 13 points, six rebounds, an assist and a block. Behind them, Livingston added nine points, four rebounds and an assist. Asensio had eight points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal. Heaton rounded out the starting five with four points, two rebounds, two assists and a block.

Karyn Sanford and Rachel Wilson led the team off the bench with 19 and 16 minutes, respectively, and four points apiece. Sanford added four rebounds, three assists and a steal, and Wilson added two boards. Paloma Munoz Herreros added three points, a rebound and a steal. 

"I'm just so proud of our effort," Brooks said. "We're thankful for the support of the fans, and we want more support. Come watch these young ladies play. We want to be role models for our community. We want young ladies and young girls to come and have somebody to look up to, and we're going to do things the right way."