Feb. 8, 2001
SALT LAKE CITY - For the second straight time this season San Diego State played toe-to-toe with No. 17 Utah for 30 minutes. But for the second consecutive game, the Utes had too much down the stretch, turning a two-point game at the half into a 62-45 victory in front of an announced crowd of 724 at the Huntsman Center.
Aztec sophomore Jamey Cox led all scorers with 16 points, including a season-best four three-pointers, to lead SDSU (11-10, 3-5 MWC).
Utah (19-2, 8-0 MWC), which remains perfect in conference play, had three players finish in double figures, including leading scorer Lauren Beckman, who finished with 12.
Beckman, though, was in foul trouble early on and the Aztecs took advantage of it, repeatedly beating the Utes to the glass during the first 20 minutes and leading for much of the first half.
The Aztecs used a pair of Cox threes to build a 12-2 run and led by as many as five during the opening session. But Utah scored 10 of the half's final 13 points and led 23-21 at the break.
The Utes continued the run after intermission, outscoring SDSU 6-2 to take a 31-23 lead with just under 16 minutes to play.
Four more points from Cox and four from junior Atim Otii pulled the Aztecs within five before Utah took control of the game with an 18-3 run that put the contest out of reach.
"Against op-20 competition you've got to be able to play a 40-minute game," said Aztec head coach Barb Smith. "You can't have let-downs on the road. We played a great first half and we really believed out defense could win it for us. We needed to come out with the same intensity in the second half but we just didn't do that."
SDSU senior Anita Bundage added nine points and 11 rebounds, helping the Aztecs to a 38-32 advantage on the boards that included a season-high 20 on the offensive end for SDSU. With 533 career rebounds, Bundage needs just two more to move into SDSU's top 10 in that category.
Senior Sophia Sledge grabbed a career-high six steels as the Aztecs recorded 11 to the Utes 4.
But its was Utah's blistering 63-percent shooting in the second half that proved to be the difference in the game.
"This is our toughest road trip of the year," Smith said, "It's two very tough places to play. We've got to get our 40-minute game together . That's our challenge right now."
San Diego State will try to get a split out of its two-game swing through the Beehive State on Saturday, Feb. 10, when the Aztecs travel down the road to meet Brigham Young.