Dec. 20, 2001
KANSAS CITY - Aztec sophomore Nicollette McCartny hit a baby hook in the lane with 11.3 seconds to play to cap an 8-1 San Diego State run as the Aztecs rallied for a hard-fought 52-51 victory over Missouri-Kansas City before 255 at the Swinney Recreation Center on the UMKC Campus Thursday night.
Ashonda Williams scored 10 points and Jamey Cox and Clarie Swinbank each pitched in with eight for San Diego State (5-4), which won for the second time in as many games and snapped eight-game road losing streak with the victory.
But it was Missy Schomaker's back-to-back three pointers - her only points of the game - in the final three minutes that proved to be the difference as the Aztecs, who trailed 50-44, scored eight of the game's final nine points for the come-from-behind win.
"We told them in the last media time out that it was time to take control of the game," said SDSU head coach Barb Smith, who has the Aztecs off to the best start of her tenure. "The plan was to drive it to the basket for a lay up or kick it out for the three and Claire (Swinbank) drove it down and hit Missy twice and she nailed both shots.
"We just executed so well in the final two minutes."
Kim Hansen scored a game-high 19 points and gathered a career-best 10 rebounds for UMKC (2-5), which led for most of the game before dropping its fifth in a row.
San Diego State, used a 12-2 run to take a 36-31 lead with 11:29. McCartny, playing in just her third game of the season, put back an offensive rebound got the spurt started and Williams canned a pair of 3-pointers to cap it and put the Aztecs on top.
UMKC, however, scored the game's next 11 points to re-take the lead as SDSU went scoreless until a pair of Tanisha Knight free throws got the Aztecs back on track. The Kangaroos, who were a sparkling 13-of-15 from the free throw line compared to SDSU's 6-of-7, pushed the lead to as many as eight points with just under five minutes to play before San Diego State began chipping away.
"At halftime I told the team we needed to box out and toughen up our defense," said Smith, whose team did not gave up 14 UMKC offensive rebounds, but none in the final four minutes. "We almost waited too long."
San Diego State, which has struggled with turnovers this season, had only 15 tonight. The Aztecs also had 15 assists, including seven by Cox.
"We knew it would be critical tonight to limit their opportunities and we've be preaching how important it would be to keep our turnovers down," said Smith. "We did a much better job of that and that really cut down on (UMKC's) looks."
Both teams struggled from the field in the first half as neither squad was able to shoot better than 35 percent from the floor.
San Diego State, which never trailed by more than four points, got two free throws from Otii, and back-to-back jumpers Swinbank and Williams to forge a 6-0 run and a 13-11 lead midway through the period.
UMKC went back on top just under three minutes later on Juanita Fultz's second 3-pointer of the season and remained there until intermission, taking a 22-21 at the half.