LOGAN — Yes, there is such a thing as a moral victory.
Utah State's 75-68 exhibition win over Utah Valley State College was nothing more than a confidence-builder for the program that is playing in its first year of Division I women's basketball in nearly two decades.
Officially, the Aggies are still 0-5, but in their minds they're 1-5. For a team that is struggling, any win is a good win.
"It doesn't matter (that it doesn't count). We won," Utah State center Ali Aird said. "I think we have a lot more confidence. We know now that we can win."
The win — in theory — snapped Utah State's five-game losing streak, but at the same time it put in the Aggie minds that they have the talent to win basketball games. Now, it's just a matter of time to see how far the Aggies will take it.
"We needed to get that win," Utah State coach Raegan Pebley said. "Hopefully that is breaking down a little bit of a wall to let these kids know they can play."
Pebley is also pleased with the way her team responded after dropping a 73-70 overtime decision to Northern Colorado Saturday.
She got on her team pretty hard following the loss and then relived the loss on film for three hours Monday.
"I made them watch everything — rewound and rewound," Pebley said. "We wanted them to feel it and not forget how it felt."
Utah State led 35-31 at the half and Utah Valley took the lead at 48-47 on a three-pointer by Miriam Palkki with just under 10 minutes to play.
Over the next eight minutes the game was tied or the lead changed hands 15 times before Utah State pulled way in the final two minutes.
Utah State's Ashley Anderson gave the Aggies the lead for good at 66-65 with a pair of foul shots.
The Aggies hit 7-of-10 foul shots in the final minutes to keep the Wolverines at bay.
Christina Zdenek led the Aggies with 20 points, while Anderson and Aird scored 12 each. Aird also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
Katie Wilson led the Wolverines with 12 points, while Palkki and Beverly Visentin added 12 points each. Former Logan High standout Molly Hillyard scored four points.
While the game didn't count against the Aggies, it counted against the Wolverines (4-8).
With the loss, the Wolverines have dropped six straight games and haven't won since beating Western State College by 22 points two days after Thanksgiving.
Utah State plays its next four games on the road beginning Dec. 19 at Western Michigan. The Aggies will play Weber State in Ogden Dec. 30.
The Aggies open Big West Conference play Jan. 3 at Idaho before returning home Jan. 8 and 10 for conference meetings with Santa Barbara and Cal Poly.
The Wolverines will travel to Boise State Dec. 20 before returning home Jan. 1 to begin a five-game home stand.
E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com