Nov. 22, 2000
LOS ANGELES - For the second straight game San Diego State had four players finish in double figures, but for the second time it wasn't enough as the Aztecs dropped a 69-59 decision at Loyola Marymount Tuesday night.
San Diego State, which trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, used a 14-6 run early in the second to cut the Lion lead to two with 14:40 to play. The Aztecs, however could draw no closer. Trailing by just four points with under two minutes to play, LMU got a bucket from Shannon Wosman and then back-to-back break away lay-ups off steals by Taryn Reynolds to give the Lions a 10-point lead and the game.
"We got close several times in the second half but we couldn't sustain our runs," said Aztec head coach Barb Smith. "Even though we played better tonight than we did in our opener, this is a game we could have won."
Sophomore Jamey Cox led San Diego State (0-2) with 12 points on 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc. Junior Atim Otii pitched in with 11 points and junior Tanisha Knight and freshman Nicolette McCartny each added 10 in the losing effort.
Loyola Marymount (1-0) was led by Reynolds, who paced all scorers with 21 points. Freshman Adrianne Slaughter finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
But what really did in the Aztecs were turnovers. After giving up the ball just 16 times at Montana, SDSU was forced into 23 miscues tonight.
"I'm a little disappointed in the way we handled the ball tonight," Smith added. "Our point guards didn't handle (LMU's) pressure very well and we paid for it."
The Aztecs were, however, much improved on the glass, outrebounding the Lions by a 33-26 margin, including a team-high seven by Knight.
San Diego State returns to action Friday at 7:30 p.m., when the Aztecs host Illinois State in the nightcap of the 2000 Pacific Bell Classic at Cox Arena. Chattanooga and Gonzaga get things started in the opener at 5 p.m.
"It should be a great tournament," said Smith. "We've got some good teams coming in. Hopefully we'll get some fans to come out and help us turn this thing around."