Nov. 10, 2001
Exhibition 2NWBL USA Elite at
San Diego State
November 10, 2001
Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl (12,414)
San Diego, Calif.
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Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m.
Webcast: none
The Records: The San Diego State women's basketball team opened its preseason schedule with a 78-61 loss to Team Concept and will be out to level its exhibition record against the NWBL USA Elite Saturday at Cox Arena.
In The RPI: San Diego State ended the 2000-01 campagin as one of the nation's most improved teams according to the RPI rankings. SDSU closed out 2000-01 ranked No. 134 in the RPI, an improvement of 95 spots over its ranking of 229 in 1999-00.
SDSU Coach Barb Smith: Smith (Ohio State '86) is in her fifth season at San Diego State. She owns and overall record of 39-68 (. 364) with the Aztecs.
NWBL Coach Ronnie Spates: NWBL USA Elite is coached by Ronnie Spates.
Series History: This is the thrird straight year that the Aztecs have squared off with a NWBL squad during the preseason. San Diego State has won the two previous meetings.
The Officials: Rob Bryson, Marianne Karp, Jennifer Tentor.
Aztecs Wrap Up Exhibition Slate With Game Against NWBL USA Elite Saturday at Cox
* The San Diego State women's basketball team hosts the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL) USA Elite in its second of two preseason exhibitions Saturday at Cox Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
* The Aztecs are coming off a 78-61 loss to Team Concept in their preseason opener last Wednesday.
* San Diego State openes its 2001-02 season on Nov. 16, when the Aztecs host Cal Poly at Cox Arena for a 7:30 tip.
A Quick Look At The Aztecs
* San Diego State returns eight letterwinners, including four starters and its top four scorers from the 2000-01 campaign. Heading the list is second-team all-Mountain West Conference selection junior guard Jamey Cox. The Aztecs' leading scorer for the past two seasons, Cox has a real shot at becoming SDSU's first 1,000-point scorer since Jodi Nowlin-Tres in 1997. She enters 2001-02 with 658 points.
* Other returning starters include senior guard Claire Swinbank, and senior forwards Atim Otii and Tanisha Knight. Swinbank and Otii were the only Aztecs to start all 28 games a year ago, while Knight, who made 17 starts, scored in double figures 12 times and finished the season second on the team in scoring.
* Three other players who also saw significant playing time also return. Forward/center Nicolette McCartny, a 13-game starter as a true freshman a year ago, returns for her sophomore campaign, while guard/forward Missy Schomaker and center Morgan Vargas are also back.
Noting the Newcomers
* San Diego State inked four newcomers during 2000-01's two signing periods. Maggie Sauls (Borger, Texas) and Heather Wolf (Stayton, Ore.), a pair of high school guards, signed during the early period, while junior college forwards Valencia Howard (Richmond, Calif.) and Ashonda Williams (Crockett, Calif.) committed during the spring.
* Sauls, a scorer who was a member of numerous all-conference, region and district teams in the Texas panhandle, stands 5-9 and projects as two guard. Wolf, a two-time conference player of the year as well as a 2A all-state selection, is 5-6 and will most likely run at the point.
* Howard and Williams played together at Contra Costa Junior College in Richmond, Calif. Both are forwards, however their styles are completely different. Howard is more of an inside force and will battle for playing time at the four spot. Williams, a small forward, is perhaps the best offensive signing of the Barb Smith era as the junior to be scored over 1,200 points during her JC career and led the state in three-pointers made as a sophomore.
Aztecs Picked Seventh BY MWC Media
* Returning eight lettewinners, including four starters, and bringing four highly-prized recruits didn't seem to resonate with Mountain West Conference media members as the San Diego State women's basketball team was tabbed to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll.
* For the first time in the conference's brief history, a team other than Utah was selected to win the league by the preseason prognosticators. Colorado State, which advanced to the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament, captured nine first-place votes to take the top spot. Utah was second in the poll with five votes.
It's A Fact - Staff Returns Intact
* For the first time in the last five seasons, the San Diego State women's basketball staff returns completely intact. Assistant coach Steve Huber is back for his third season with the Aztecs, while assistants Trisha Sears and Dana McGraw, as well as director of basketball operations Anthony Turner, return for their second.
One Step At A Time
* The San Diego State women's basketball team heads into 2001-02 looking to build on its most successful season in over four years. Despite playing the majority of their games on the road, the Aztecs came within an eyelash of their first winning campaign since 1997. SDSU, which closed out 2001 with 13-15 mark, was just six seconds from finishing 15-13 as the Aztecs fell in the final seconds versus both UNLV, 68-67, and Colorado State, 55-54.
* Nevertheless, San Diego State's improvement over the past two seasons has been quite dramatic as the 2000-01 Aztecs won nearly twice as many games as they did in '98-99 and four more than in '99-00.
Recapping The Opener vs. Team Concept
* Playing without Nicolette McCartny (ankle) and with a severly limited Jamey Cox (ankle), the San Diego State women's basketball team dropped its 2001-02 debut, falling to Team Concept, 78-61 in an exhibition game at Cox Arena, Wednesday night.
* Senior Claire Swinbank poured in a game-high 19 points, including 15 in the second half, and classmate Morgan Vargas added 11 more for San Diego State, but it wasn't enough to offset a 13-rebound Team Concept edge on the glass, as the Portland-based AAU squad held off a gutsy second half Aztec comeback bid.
* Six Team Concept players finished in double figures, including former Aztec Mary Apiafi, who was one of four players to end the night with 12 points. Apiafi also grabbed eight boards to go along with a game-high nine by former Notre Dame star Katryna Gaither, as Team Concept finished the night was a 47-34 edge on the glass.
* San Diego State shot just 21 percent and was outrebounded by 14 during the opening period, resulting in a 39-18 deficit at the break. But the Aztecs rallied right out of the locker room after intermission, using a 13-2 run to pull within 10 points at 41-31 just over five minutes into the second half.
* SDSU, however, could never trim Team Concept's lead to single digits, despite shooting nearly 50 percent for the period and grabbing the advantage on the boards. The Aztecs pulled within 10 points on three separate occasions only to see Team Concept push its advantage out again.
* Newcomers Ashonda Williams, Valencia Howard and Heather Wolf all saw action, with Wolf starting at the point guard spot in front of Jamey Cox, who is nursing an ankle injury and was limited to just 14 minutes of action by the coaching staff.
* Williams led the Aztecs on the boards with a team-best eight rebounds, while Howard finished with six points. Wolf, who added six points on a pair of 3-pointers, was solid running the Aztec attack and had just one turnover in 26 minutes of work.
Head Coach Barb Smith
* Rebounding is one of the keys to victory in basketball. It's also a key to succeeding in life. And San Diego State head coach Barb Smith went hard to the glass during the 2000-01 season, her fourth with the Aztecs. After getting out to a tough start during her first three years at SDSU, Smith got the Aztecs pointed back in the right direction last season, posting a number of milestones of her tenure, including number of overall victories (13), number of conference victories (5), number non-conference victories (8), number of road victories (5) and longest winning streak (6). She enters her fifth season on The Mesa with a career record of 39-68 (.364).