Jan. 18, 2001
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Just call them road warriors.
San Diego State junior Tanisha Knight nailed a long jumper just inside the three-point line with 23 seconds to play and the Aztecs came back from a nine-point halftime deficit to escape with a 50-49 victory over Air Force Thursday night at Clune Arena.
The win was the third straight on the road for the Aztecs (10-6, 2-1 MWC) and avenged a loss here to the Falcons (3-12, 0-2 MWC) last year.
"Hey they left me open," said Knight after hitting the biggest shot of her Aztec career. "They shouldn't have done that. I haven't hit a game-winner in a long time. Maybe since high school. It's great! I've got this tingling feeling going throughout my body. I'm still tingling right now."
Junior Claire Swinbank scored a season-high 17 points, 12 in the second half, and senior Anita Bundage added a season-best 15 for SDSU, which has now won five games away from Cox Arena this season, more than the last two years combined.
"I'll take a win any time I can get it on the road," said SDSU head coach Barb Smith. "It's tough to play on the road in this conference and at elevation. I'm happy to get the win but our performance wasn't quite where it should have been."
Morgan Bennett scored 19 points, including hitting on 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, to lead the Falcons.
San Diego State led by as many as six points in the opening minutes, but torrid three-point shooting (7-for-9) by the Falcons lifted Air Force to a 30-21 half time advantage.
Swinbank, who has now score in double figures in four of the last five games, got SDSU right back in the game after the break, scoring eight points during a 16-4 run to open the second half that put the Aztecs up 37-34 with 10:43 to play.
"Claire gave us a huge lift right from the start of the second half and almost single-handedly got us back in the game," Smith said. "You need that kind of leadership if your are going to win these kinds of games."
A pair of Falcon three pointers and a lay-up by Bennett put the Air Force on top 46-41 at the 4:42 mark.
But Bundage scored seven of the games next nine points to pull the Aztecs even with just over a minute remaining.
Air Force had a chance to go up by two on its next possession, but Samantha Clifton could only convert the front end of her 1-and-1, setting the stage for Knight's game-winning shot.
San Diego State wraps up its brief two-game road trip Saturday, Jan. 20, when the Aztecs visit New Mexico for a 7 p.m. (MST) tip from "The Pit".
-SDSU-