Dec. 16, 2001
SAN DIEGO - Sacramento State came into Cox Arena Sunday night looking for its first win of the season. That quest will continue for at least another game courtesy of the Aztecs.
Ashonda Williams led all scorers with 14 points and Valencia Howard added a career-high 12 as San Diego State (4-4) rolled to a 72-51 victory over the Hornets in front of 378.
"This was absolutely a must-win game tonight for us," said SDSU head coach Barb Smith, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak with the win. "We've been working on playing with more intensity and more aggression on defense and I though our team came out and did a good of that job."
San Diego State never trailed and broke open a three-point game late in the first half with a 13-0 run that gave the Aztecs a 33-17 advantage three minutes before intermission. That lead would grow to 19 at the half as SDSU took a 42-23 lead into the locker room.
Things only got worse in the second half for Sacramento State (0-8), which shot just 32 percent from the field and had nearly as many turnovers (41) as points. The Hornets managed just six points in the first eight minutes after the break as the Aztecs built a 30-point lead midway through the period.
SDSU's advantage grew to as many as 33 before Sacramento State began chipping away. The Hornets, who were led by Danielle Iceman's 13 points, pulled never got closer than 21 points.
Aztec senior Morgan Vargas scored 12 points to finish in double digits for the third straight game added a team-high seven rebounds. Atim Otii and Missy Schomaker also had solid nights on the boards for the Aztecs with six rebounds apiece. Jamey Cox finished with six points and dished out at game-high six assists.
San Diego State closes out the road portion of its non-conference slate next week when the Aztecs travel to the Midwest for games at Missouri-Kansas City on Thursday, Dec. 20, and Creighton on Saturday, Dec. 22.