WBB Recap: Aggies Battle But Fall At UNLV

LAS VEGAS – Utah State took UNLV by surprise and got off to a hot start before the Lady Rebels settled in and took over.

The Aggies didn’t go away and forced a four-quarter slog. They fought hard and stayed close, but couldn’t overcome UNLV’s star power and some extra adversity thrown their way.

Utah State entered the game shorthanded with star player Aliyah Gayles out with a lower body injury, but things got worse. Marina Asensio exited the game twice with injury, first in the third quarter and then for good in the fourth. Asensio still logged 33 minutes and 16 points, both team highs, and added a rebound, three assists and two steals. 

When she exited the game for good, there was just 1:42 on the clock, and it was an eight-point game. The Aggies had just scored seven straight, but any hope of completing the comeback left the game with Asensio. The Aggies didn’t score again, the Rebels added a three, and UNLV won 69-58. 

It started off with Utah State scoring four quick points from Elise Livingston and Sophie Sene, combined with a frenetic defensive effort that forced three turnovers before UNLV could even get a shot off.

Once the Rebels started shooting, they hit their first three field goal attempts, along with two free throws, to take a 10-8 lead. This was part of a 13-4 Rebel run that put the Aggies down 10. Just before the quarter ended, Jamisyn Heaton hit a layup to make it a single-digit game. Sene added a layup as the second quarter opened to make it a six-point game, at which point the Aggies were a bit too close for Jasmyn Lott and Meadow Roland, who did most of the heavy lifting for UNLV. Lott hit a jumper that uncorked a 13-3 run for the Rebels that she capped with a jumper to take a 16-point lead.

Asensio broke up the momentum with a three, and when Shelbee Brown hit a jumper, Asensio hit another one. Moments later, Paloma Muñoz Herreros converted a three, and Asensio hit a jumper to cut the lead to nine points, but Lott pushed it back to double digits by the end of the half, and the Aggies trailed 39-28.

Out of the break, Asensio picked up where she left off and had no problem finding the net on a three-pointer and a jumper for a quick five points to slash the Rebel lead to six.

Once again, the Aggies were too close for comfort, and UNLV retaliated with another 13-3 run, and again the Rebels stalled out when their lead hit 16 points. This time it was Macie Brown putting a stop to the Rebel run with a steal and a fast-break layup, then Karyn Sanford added a layup to bring the Aggies within 12. Utah State trailed by 13 at the end of the quarter.

Sene cut into that lead with two free throws to start the fourth, but UNLV got it back and pushed its lead to 15 with back-to-back buckets. The teams traded blows, and the Aggies found themselves still down 15 with 4:31 left. With a three-pointer, Asensio kicked off a seven-point burst for the Aggies before coming out of the game.  

Most of Utah State’s deficit came from the first quarter. It was an impressive open for the Aggies, but the Rebels came in hot, just a few minutes late, and the frame went to UNLV with a 20-12 score. Then the Aggies lost the second quarter by three and the third quarter by two before outscoring UNLV 15-13 in the fourth.  

Sene recorded her second double-double in three games and her fifth double-digit scoring performance of the year with 14 points, 10 rebounds, an assist and a steal. She was the only starter to get to the free-throw line, where she went 4 for 4 and accounted for most of the team’s 5-of-6 game from the stripe.

Heaton had eight points, six rebounds and three steals. Livingston added two points, five rebounds and four assists. Off the bench, Paloma Muñoz Herreros added 12 points, two rebounds and an assist, and Sanford had four points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Utah State’s loss represents a cataclysmic shift for the program, but it leaves more questions than answers. The last team the teams met, the Rebels won 89-51. In 2023-24, the Aggies lost 107-68 in Las Vegas, then 104-44 in Logan.

Asensio’s status is uncertain, as is Utah State’s. The Aggies are now down their two best players and leading scorers. They have players who can step up, but the likes of Sene, Heaton, Sanford, Livingston and Wilson are now being asked to cover for the absence of not one, but two stars. Their first test with their new-look rotation will be a tough one as they host the other of the two teams without a conference loss, San Diego State.