Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
at Utah State
'Cats Fall to Aggies in Non-Conference Finale
12/21/2009 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LOGAN, Utah -- The Weber State women's basketball team headed into the Christmas break on a sour note as the Wildcats (6-7) suffered a 72-51 loss to Utah State (5-5) on Monday afternoon at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
"We've played some good teams this preseason, which helps prepare us for the conference season" said WSU head coach Carla Taylor. "And they are the same type of teams that we will see in the Big Sky. You can learn lessons from these games, but they're only lessons learned, and not mistakes, if you're willing to make a change."
The Wildcats shot 57.9 percent in the opening half, but found themselves in a 38-28 hole at the break. The Aggies forced 11 turnovers over the first 20 minutes, leading to a 15-3 edge in points off turnovers.
That trend continued in the second half as the Wildcats turned it over another 14 times after the half for 25 total turnovers.
The Wildcats pulled within six points on a Tonya Schnibbe three-pointer midway through the second half, but the Aggies outscored the 'Cats 25-10 over the final 10 minutes to put the game away.
Caitlin Anderson led the Wildcats in scoring for the second-straight outing, finishing the game with 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting. Tonya Schnibbe added 10 points and seven assists, while Joey O'Neill chipped in with a team-high seven rebounds.
TaHara Williams led the Aggies with 15 points, while Lydia Whitehead gave USU a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Alice Coddington also produced a double-double for the Aggies, adding 13 steals to her 13 points.
"One player having 13 steals is just not taking care of the ball," said Taylor. "We've got to do a better job of valuing ball possession. Right now, we're not. We're reacting. We've got to go back to taking care of the ball, making good decisions and playing within our system."
The Wildcats will be off until New Year's Day when they take on Montana State in Bozeman, Mont. for the Big Sky Conference opener.
