LOGAN, Utah -- The University of Idaho women's basketball team fought valiantly cutting an 18-point second half lead to as little as four before suffering a 78-70 loss to Utah State at Logan, Utah.

The Vandals fall to 3-11 on the season and 0-3 in the Western Athletic Conference. Utah State improves its record to 6-9 overall and 2-1 in the WAC. The loss is only the second loss all-time for Idaho against Utah State.

"This was a 62-60 game with 6:36 to play and we don't get back fast enough on defense and then they hustle down the floor and hit a 3-pointer and never look back," Idaho coach Mike Divilbiss said. "I am tired of having these moral victories. Yes we fought back and got it close. If we had started the game the way we played the second half, it wouldn't have even been close."

Liz Witte had a game- and career-high 26 points, which included shooting 7-10 from behind the 3-point line. Katie Madison was right behind Witte as she had 25 points and hauled in 12 rebounds. Madison's double-double was her fifth of the season.

"I haven't worried about our offense all season," Divilbiss said. "I knew eventually the team would shoot in games the way they did in practice and we are starting to. We are trying to get the team to concentrate, be mentally tough and rebound and defend better. If we start doing those things we will win these close games."

Led by Brittany Phillips' 20, three Aggies were in double figures. Jenny Gross chipped in with 18 and added 10 rebounds for the double-double. Taylor Richards added 12 points for the Aggies.  

Utah State controlled the game early jumping out to a 10-2 lead in the game's first three minutes. Phillips had the last four points for the Aggies points during the run, as she scored on a jumper and later added a layup.

Idaho chipped into the lead as Witte hit the first of her seven 3-pointers to make it a 10-5 ballgame. After a Danyelle Snelgro bucket, Katie Madison answered with a layup and brought the score to 12-7 with 16:25 to play in the first half. The two teams traded baskets before another spurt by the Aggies, gave them a 24-14 lead with 11:19 left in the first.

The Aggies kept the pressure up and pushed their lead out to a 15 point difference taking a 31-16 lead with 9:17 left. Jamelah Brown had five of the Aggies seven points in the run scoring two baskets and adding a free throw. The Vandals lone score during the stretch was a Madison layup.

Idaho wasn't able to cut into Utah State's lead during the remainder of the half as the teams headed to the locker rooms the score was 43-27.

After the intermission the Vandals couldn't cut into the lead right away with just under 12 minutes to play Idaho still trailed by 16, 60-44.

Idaho then used a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 60-54 with 8 minutes to play. Five different Vandals scored in the run. Madison had an old-fashioned 3-point play, which cut the lead to eight. A jumper by Stephanie Jones with 8:09 to play made the score 60-54.

A layup by Gross ended the Aggies scoring drought and put the lead back to eight, 62-54. Before Gross' layup, the Aggies hadn't made a basket in 4:23. Idaho would keep the pressure up. A Madison layup and a Witte 3-pointer sandwiched around Sara Dennehy making 1-of-2 free throws cut the lead to just two, 62-60, with 6:37 to play. The Aggies moved quickly down the floor and Richards drained a 3-pointer, which gave the Aggies a five-point margin.They never looked back, wrapping up the, 78-70 victory.