LAS VEGAS – The San Diego State women’s basketball team (24-9) upset top seeded UNLV (25-7) 71-59 in the Mountain West tournament semifinals Tuesday evening to advance to championship game for the second season in a row.
“ESPN gave us a 91.3 percent chance to lose, so we just took that personal,” Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said after the game. “We feel like we're a good team. We know UNLV is very good and they deserve all the respect, but we're a good team too.”
The Aztecs held the Rebels, who won their fourth straight regular season championship, to 28% shooting from the field and 23% shooting from three.
SDSU had balanced scoring once again with five players finishing in double-digits. Veronica Sheffey finished with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting, Naomi Panganiban had 14, and Kim Villalobos had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Jazlen Green and Adryana Quezada each had 10 points.
After a defensive battle in the first quarter, the Aztecs caught fire in the second quarter, making five of their six shots. They eventually went on a 15-3 run to grab a 33-20 halftime lead. SDSU went 10-for-16 in the second quarter and 4-for-6 from three and Panganiban had eight points.
The Aztecs pushed their lead to as much as 21 points in the third quarter. UNLV went on an 18-5 run to get as close as seven points before the Aztecs eventually won by 12.
San Diego State shot 46% from the field, 50% from three and 87% from the line. The Aztecs improved to 19-2 when three or more players score in double-digits.
STAT OF THE GAME
The Aztecs outscored the Rebels 28-14 in the paint. SDSU has outscored their opponent in paint points in 12 of their last 13 games.
THE NOTE I
This was San Diego State’s 11th road win, a new school record.
THE NOTE II
The Aztecs’ eight three-pointers tied a school record for most threes in a Mountain West tournament game (3-11-19 vs. New Mexico).
UP NEXT
The Aztecs will play the winner of [2] Wyoming and [6] Fresno State in the championship game Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.