Feb. 5, 2000
SAN DIEGO - Senior Mary Apiafi led all scorers with 21 points and junior Anita Bundage added 16 as the San Diego State women's basketball team stunned Mountain West Conference leader Colorado State, 68-58, at Cox Arena Saturday afternoon.
Apiafi, who pulled down 12 rebounds en route to her eighth double-double of the season, also grabbed a game-high eight steals for SDSU (7-13, 2-5 Mtn. West), just missing a triple-double. Freshmen Kacee Wheeler and Jamey Cox also finished in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively, while junior Shannon Lee, the MWC's assist leader, tied a career-high with 11 assists.
Elizabeth English led Colorado State (15-5, 5-2 Mtn. West) with a team-best 13 points, while Heather Haanen chipped in with 12.
"Coming in we knew that for us to have a chance we needed to rebound well and keep the final score below 70 points," said Aztec head coach Barb Smith. "We came out and set the tempo early with out defense and rebounding, which were both outstanding. We were also solid against their press and in transition. I've believed all along that we were close to turning the corner and today we finally put it all together."
CSU, which entered the game with a conference-best 74.5 scoring average, was held to its second lowest scoring output of the season as the Rams shot just 38.6 percent from the field, including 26.1 percent from three-point distance. SDSU also outrebounded CSU, 44-29, for the game, gathering a season-high 19 offensive boards in the process.
SDSU, which fell behind by as many as five points in the second half, trailed 53-49 at the 7:11 mark before going on a 10-1 run over the next 3:22 to take a 59-57 lead with 3:33 to play. A Lee lay-up started the spurt. An Apiafi free throw followed by a Bundage long-range jumper gave the Aztecs their first lead since early in the second half. Cox then hit a trey from the corner and Bundage added a lay-up to complete the run.
The Aztecs finally put the game on ice by hitting on 5-of-7 foul shots in the final minute.
San Diego State opens the second half of the Mountain West Conference season at Utah Thursday, Feb. 10. The game, which opens a men's/women's double header, tips of at 5:15 MST.