Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Utah State
Rally Falls Short Against Aggies
12/22/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
OGDEN, Utah -- The Weber State women's basketball team entered the Christmas break on a sour note Monday with a 44-41 loss to Utah State at the Dee Events Center in front of a school-record 2,551 fans.
"We didn't make baskets," said WSU head coach Carla Taylor. "And then we stopped sharing the ball and taking quick shots. Credit Utah State's defense today. They were very aggressive on the ball and blocked a lot of shots."
The Wildcats did everything they needed to win other than hit enough shots. The 'Cats held the Aggies to 35.8 percent shooting and only 44 points and they forced 17 turnovers while committing only eight themselves. Weber State was done in, however, by an inability to make shots.
WSU shot only 25 percent from the field, hitting 16 of 64 attempts, including 5 of 24 (20.8%) from three-point range. The 25 percent ranks as the eighth-worst shooting performance in school history.
"We didn't do a very good job in the post today," said Taylor. "Karlee (Weight) was better in the second half, especially late, but we couldn't get the ball inside. We have to go inside and establish that in order to take pressure off the perimeter, and today we didn't get inside."
The team's downfall began early in the first half. After Tonya Schnibbe hit a layup to give WSU a 7-5 advantage at the 16:13 mark, the 'Cats went the next eight minutes and 47 seconds without a score. Abby Thorderson ended the drought with a jumper in the lane with 7:26 left in the period, but the Wildcats faced a 17-9 deficit.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Ali Thorderson and Caitlin Anderson pulled the 'Cats within two points at 17-15 as the Aggies went on a seven minute, 10 second scoring drought of their own. Danyelle Snelgro finally ended the streak for Utah State at the 1:52 mark and Ana Pares countered a Caitlin Anderson score as the half wound down and the Aggies held a 21-17 lead at the break.
In the second half, Utah State pushed out to a 15-point lead at 37-22 with 11:13 left and held a 39-26 lead at the 7:32 mark before the 'Cats rallied. Sarah Conner started the run for WSU with a three-pointer and the 'Cats reeled off nine-straight to cut the lead to 39-35 with 3:52 remaining.
Tonya Schnibbe's jumper with 2:37 left put the Wildcats within two and WSU had a chance to tie with just under a minute left, but Karlee Weight's 10-footer rimmed out. Pares would then hit a three from straight-away to push the lead back to five. Weight scored on a put-back on the next possession to get WSU back within three and the Wildcats had a shot with six seconds left to tie, but Schnibbe was off the mark on a highly contested three-pointer and the Aggies escaped with the win.
Schnibbe, who was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week earlier in the day, led the 'Cats with 12 points. She also contributed five rebounds and five assists. Ali Thorderson chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds, while Anderson added seven points and seven rebounds. Weight's late bucket went for her lone points of the day, but the sophomore center posted a team-high eight rebounds.
Snelgro led all scorers for the Aggies with 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting, while Pares added 17 points. Lydia Whitehead pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, while Nicole Johnson added 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Aggies.
The Wildcats will have the holiday off before heading to Ypsilanti, Mich. to take on Eastern Michigan on Dec. 29 at 2:00pm MST.
