Nov. 10, 2001
SAN DIEGO - Junior Ashonda Williams scored 16 points and senior Claire Swinbank added 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds as the San Diego State women's basketball team rolled to a 69-54 victory over the National Women's Basketball League's USA Elite before 437 Saturday night at Cox Arena.
The first-game jitters SDSU showed in it exhibition opener against Team Concept were none existent versus USA Elite as the Aztecs scored early and often, using a 21-0 run early in the opening period to lead 28-6 with just under seven minutes to play in the first half.
The Aztecs advantage grew to as many as 26 before USA Elite, which was led by Kourtney Walton and Christana Pagano with 16 points each, closed the stanza with a 8-0 spurt to cut SDSU's lead to 40-22 at the break.
"We really worked hard on rebounding and boxing out the past two days in practice and it really showed in the first part of the game," head coach Barb Smith said. "We came out with a lot of intensity and enthusiasm in the first half and that's how we built our early lead."
It was a lead the Aztecs would not relinquish. USA Elite whittled the Aztecs' lead to as few as 13 points late in the second half but could never get the game into single digits.
Senior Atim Otii also finished in double digits with 11 points for San Diego State, which shot 47 percent for the game. Jamey Cox, who was limited to just 14 minutes in the exhibition opener added eight points and dished out a game-high eight assists.
"This win gives us some energy as we head into our season opener on Friday," said Smith. "I think we took a big jump from the first exhibition to tonight and now we've got a few days to get ready for the real thing."
That "real thing" begins Friday at 7:30, when the Aztec host Cal Poly in their 2001-02 season opener. Last season, San Diego State knocked off the Mustangs in San Luis Obispo, 73-63.