LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The University of Denver women's basketball team was eliminated from the Western Athletic Conference Tournament by virtue of a 78-65 loss to Utah State on Wednesday afternoon at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Pioneers finish the season with a 14-17 record, while the Aggies improve to 18-12 and will advance to face Idaho in the semifinals on Friday.

"Utah State is on a mission to get to the NCAA Tournament and they played that way, but our fight and heart were incredible," said head coach Kerry Cremeans. "Our girls represented Denver with great respect and with great passion, and that's all we can ask for. I'm proud of the way this team performed today and all season long."

Freshman Kailey Edwards (Broomfield, Colo.) led Denver with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while senior Emiko Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) tallied 14 points, four steals, four rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. She finishes her Denver career with 726 assists, 309 more than the next closest in Pioneers' history. She also registered 829 points, 429 rebounds and 211 steals.

Sophomore Theresa Wirth (Mesa, Ariz.) recorded 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and six rebounds, while junior Maiya Michel (Loma Linda, Calif.) finished with 12 rebounds.

The Aggies shot 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from the floor and 52.0 percent (13-of-25) from three-point range in the contest, while the Pioneers hit on 42.6 percent (23-of-54) of their field goal attempts, including 12.5 percent (2-of-16) from long distance.

Aggie Jennifer Schlott led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-14, to go along with eight assists. Devyn Christensen and Makenlee Williams added 16 points apiece, while Jenna Johnson recorded 12 points. Williams also finished with seven rebounds.

The Aggies scored the first seven points of the game and later followed it up with a 10-1 run, fueled by a stretch of over five minutes where DU failed to convert a field goal, to take a 23-10 lead midway through the opening frame. Utah State took a 45-32 advantage into the break.

Schlott led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor in the first stanza, while Edwards topped DU with 11. The Aggies shot 58.6 percent (17-of-29) in the first half including  57.1 percent (8-of-14) from three-point range, while Denver shot 40.0 percent (10-of-25) from the floor and 14.3 percent (1-of-7) from beyond the arc.

The Pioneers scored the first two points of the second half, but Utah State responded with 10 unanswered points to stretch the lead to 21 at 55-34. Denver used a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 13 with less than six minutes remaining, but the Pioneers were unable to get any closer, and Utah State took the 13-point victory.

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