Dec. 21, 1999
SAN DIEGO - Junior Shannon Lee hit a running one-hander in the paint with just eight seconds remaining as the San Diego State women's basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak with a 51-49 victory over Montana Tuesday night at Cox Arena.
The victory, which improved the Aztecs to 2-7 on the season, was the first for SDSU since a 53-39 win over Indiana State on Nov. 26. The Lady Griz, who were receiving votes in last week's USA Today/WBCA poll, fell to 4-4 on the season with the loss, their third in a row.
"We played with an unbelievable amount of composure tonight," said SDSU head coach Barb Smith after the Aztecs posted a season-low 13 turnovers compared to 20 by Montana. "We've been so close so many times this season, and to finally pull one out is big for us. I think this game will be a turning point for our team."
The turning point of the game, however, didn't come until the final seconds as the Aztecs and Lady Griz played thorough 12 lead changes and six ties during the second half.
Trailing by three points with just over three minutes to play, freshman Jamey Cox, who had not played since suffering a concussion at UCLA on Dec. 9, canned a three pointer to tie the game at 47-47. A pair of Mary Apiafi free throws put the Aztecs up by two, but a lay-up by Montana's Linda Weyler squared the game once again, setting the stage for Lee's last-second heroics. UM was unable to get a shot off in its final possession.
Apiafi led SDSU with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Sophomore Atim Otii added 10 points and junior Anita Bundage gathered nine rebounds, but the real story of the game was turnovers. SDSU entered the contest averaging just over 26 a game and had only won the give-away battle once previously this season -- against Indiana State.
San Diego State returns to action on Dec. 28 when the Aztec travel to Northern Arizona to meet the Lumberjacks. Tip-off time is scheduled for 7 p.m. (MST).
San Diego State 51, Montana 49
San Diego State (2-7)
Bundage 3-10 1-2 7, Otii 4-6 2-3 10, Apiafi 4-10 6-8 14, Lee 2-5 4-6 8, Wheeler 2-7 3-5 7, Cox 1-7 2-2 5, Kiesling 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 16-47 18-26 51.
Montana (4-4)
Cooper 6-17 3-5 18, Redpath 5-10 0-0 10, Weyler 4-11 1-2 10, Keller 1-4 2-2 4, Harrington 1-2 0-0 3, Phillips 0-1 0-0 0, Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Valley 0-1 2-2 2, Schildt, 0-2 0-0 0, Deming 1-2 0-1 2. Totals 18-50 8-12 49.
Halftime--SDSU 25, UM 25. 3-Point Goals--SDSU 1-8 (Bundage 0-2, Wheeler 0-1, Cox 1-5), UM 5-19 (Cooper 3-11, Weyler 1-2, Keller 0-1, Harrington 1-2, Phillips 0-1, Schildt 0-1, Deming 0-1). Fouled out--None. Rebounds--SDSU 37 (Apiafi 11), UM 34 (Cooper 9). Assists--SDSU 8 (Lee 3), UM 12 (Deming 4). Total fouls--SDSU 17, UM 22. Att.--572.