January 31, 1999
SAN DIEGO - The hot-shooting San Diego State women's basketball team won its second straight conference game on Saturday, beating Fresno State, 89-68 at Cox Arena in front of an announced crowd of 1,269 (its second-largest home crowd of the year).
The Aztecs (6-13 overall; 3-4 Western Athletic Conference) shot 53 percent from the field in the contest, and forced the Bulldogs (7-13 overall; 2-5 WAC) to commit 38 turnovers. SDSU's win, paired with UTEP's loss at Utah earlier in the day, boosted the Aztecs into fifth place in the WAC's Pacific Division.
SDSU's pressure defense led to 22 steals and helped create numerous fast-break opportunities, which it capitalized on early. The Aztecs put the game away when they went on a 16-2 run at one point in the first half. SDSU went into the locker room leading 45-28 on 55 percent shooting from the field. The Aztecs' 45 first-half points marked a season-high for points in the opening stanza, while their 89 total points tied a season-best (which they set two nights earlier against San Jose State).
SDSU junior guard Sophia Sledge led the way for the Red and Black, scoring 19 points and recording a career-high seven steals. Freshman forward Atim Otii continued to provide a spark off of the bench, establishing a new career-best by scoring 18 points in 21 minutes of play. Sophomore guard Shannon Lee contributed with six points, and set career-highs with eight assists and six steals.
The Aztecs will next travel to Albuquerque, NM to battle New Mexico (14-4 overall; 5-1 WAC) at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 4th.