Dec. 27, 2001
Game No. 11Radford (2-8) at
San Diego State (5-5)
Friday - December 28, 2001
Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl (12,414)
San Diego, Calif.
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Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m.
Webcast: For the second consecutive season all San Diego State women's basketball games can be heard live over the Internet at www.goaztecs.com. Bill Earley (p-b-p) and Tammy Blackburn (color) will call all the home webcasts, with Dan Lawton handling the play-by-play from the road.
The Records: San Diego State slipped to 5-5 Saturday following its 66-55 loss at Creighton. Radford enters the week a 2-8 and is coming off an 87-71 loss at Ohio on Dec. 15.
In The RPI: San Diego State enters the week ranked No. 217 in the most recent RPI rankings release by collegerpi.com. Radford is ranked No. 209.
SDSU Coach Barb Smith: Smith (Ohio State '86) is in her fifth season at San Diego State. She owns an overall record of 44-73 (.376) with the Aztecs.
Radford Coach Kristen Holt: Holt (Ohio '92) was named interim head coach on August 16, 2001 after spending the last six seasons as an assistant at Radford.
Series History: Friday's game will be the third between SDSU and Radford. The squads split the previous two meetings, with the Highlanders winning the most recent encounter, 65-59, in 1996.
Aztecs Open Three-Game Homestand With Radford Friday Night At Cox Arena
Coming off a split on the road at UMKC and Creighton last week, San Diego State (5-5) returns home to Cox Arena for its final three games of non-conference play beginning with Radford (2-8) Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
The Aztecs snapped an eight-game road losing streak (not including neutral site match-ups) with a thrilling 52-51 come-from-behind victory at UMKC before having a modest two-game winning streak busted at Creighton. SDSU out-rebounded the Bluejays, had more assists, more looks at the basket and shot a better percentage from the line. But the Aztecs' 35-percent shooting performance (second lowest percentage of the season) and 17 turnovers (to Creighton's nine) were enough to couter-balance what was an overall solid effort.
San Diego State will look to get back on the winning track Friday night against a Radford squad that has struggled this season.
The Highlanders, who haven't played since an 87-71 loss at Ohio on Dec. 15th, have lost four in a row and five of their last six. And when Radford has won, it has been by the slimmest of margins as the Highlands own two-point victories over Appalachian State (73-71) and Birmingham-Southern (66-64).
San Diego State and Radford have met twice previously -- both times on a neutral floor -- with each team claiming one victory.
The Highlanders captured the most recent meeting between the two schools, defeating SDSU, 65-59, at the Maryland Dial Classic on Dec. 29, 1996.
A Win Saturday By The Aztecs Would ...
* Improve San Diego State to 6-5 on the season.
* Equal the Aztecs' best start under Barb Smith through 11 games. SDSU also opened the 2000-01 season at 6-5.
* Be the squad's third win in the last four games.
* Improve San Diego State to 4-2 in Cox Arena this season.
* Be the Aztecs' second straight home victory.
* Give SDSU a 2-1 edge in the all-time series vs. Radford.
San Diego State-Radford Series Shorts
* San Diego State is 1-1 all time versus Radford .
* The Aztecs captured the first meeting versus the Highlanders, defeating Radford, 99-92, during the 1989 WNIT.
* Radford evened the series with a 65-59 win at the Maryland Dial Classic on Dec. 29, 1996.
* Friday's game will be the first ever between the two schools not played at a neutral site.
* Radford is the only current member of the Big South Conference to have played San Diego State.
A Quick Look At Radford
Radford (2-8) will be out to end a four-game losing streak when the Highlanders come to Cox Arena Friday night. The game will also be the first in nearly two weeks for Radford, which hasn't taken the court since its 87-71 loss at Ohio on Dec. 15th.
RU's last victory dates to Dec. 2nd, when the Highlanders eked out a 66-64 win at Birmingham-Southern.
Much of Radford's difficulties have come on the offensive end of the floor. Through 10 games, the Highlanders have shot 37 percent from the field and have connected on at least 40 percent of their shots just twice. The reason ... 3-point shooting. Radford, which is shooting 30 percent from beyond the arc, is jacking up nearly 33 percent of its shots from 3-point land (209-of-637). By comparison, of SDSU's 553 shots only 138 have been treys (25 percent).
Two highlanders are averaging double-figure points, including junior guard Ludmila Nicheporchuk (11.5 ppg). Nicheporchuk has already paced Radford in scoring in four games and had a season-high 27 points in the Highlanders' 73-71 win over Applichian State. Nicheporchuk also averages 4.7 assists per game to lead the Highlanders in that category as well.
Sophomore forward Amanda Neby (11.1 ppg) is also averaging double-digit points and is the squad's leading rebounder (7.2 rpg).
Noting SDSU's Game At Creighton
* San Diego State's 66-55 loss at Creighton last Saturday snapped a modest two-game winning streak for the Aztecs.
* SDSU, which never led, trailed by just six points with three minutes to play before Creighton scored 10 of the game's final 15 points to hold off the Aztecs' comeback bid.
* The Aztecs out-rebounded the Bluejays 45-36, marking the first time this season SDSU has lost when out-boarding an opponent.
* Claire Swinbank paced the Aztecs with 13 points -- the third time this season she has led SDSU on the scoreboard. She also had a season-high six rebounds.
* Atim Otii scored 12 points and tied a career high with 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the year.
* Nicolette McCartny made her first start of the season and finished with six points an a career-best eight rebounds.
* Tanisha Knight had her best game of the year, scoring nine points and collecting seven boards off the bench.
Cookin' At Cox
Dating to the start of last season, San Diego State is 13-10 (.565) versus non-conference competition overall but 7-3 (.700) in Cox Arena.
In fact, since the beginning of the 2000-01 campaign, 11 of SDSU's 18 wins (61 percent) have come at home.
Kick 'em While They're Down
Radford is the third San Diego State opponent to enter its game versus the Aztecs with an extended losing streak. So far this season, the Aztecs have been able to add to the misery, extending UMKC's run of losses to five and Sacramento State's streak to eight. Radford has lost four straight.
Like Deja Vu All Over Again
If the start to the 2001-02 season seems similar to last year it is. Last season, San Diego State opened the year 3-5 and was coming off back-to-back losses, including a close defeat at San Jose State on Dec. 6, before getting red-hot and putting together a six-game winning streak during the holidays.
This year, the Aztecs started a little better off at 3-4. Still, like last year at this time, SDSU entered the holiday season on a two-game losing streak, including a close loss to SJSU on Dec. 6. However, SDSU appears to be heating up just in time for the holidays and has won two of its last three games resulting in a 5-5 record through 10 games for the second straight year.
Nailbiters Becoming A Habit For Aztecs
San Diego State's season may be just 10 games old, but the Aztecs have already been involved in a number of down-to-the-wire finishes.
The Aztecs' 52-51 win at UMKC was the fourth game this season decided by fewer than five points and the second in the last four games for the Aztecs, who are 2-2 in late-game nailbiters.
Earlier this year, the Aztecs dropped a 63-59 decision to UC San Diego, but rebounded in the following game to hold off Navy, 73-69.
More recently, the Aztecs were edged by San Jose State, 65-62, on Dec. 6.
Last season the Aztecs' were 4-2 in contests decided by less that five points, including a 2-0 mark on the road.
Thursday's win at UMKC was San Diego State's first road nailbiter of the current season.
Bye, Bye Monkey
San Diego State got a huge monkey off its back with its win at UMKC Thursday night. The Aztecs' 52-51 victory over the Kangaroos snapped an eight-game road losing streak (not including neutral site games) dating to last season.
Prior to SDSU's win at UMKC, the Aztecs had not won on enemy turf since defeating Air Force, 50-49, on Jan. 11, 2001. Ironically, it also took a last-second shot to lift San Diego State to victory over the Falcons as Tanisha Knight drilled a jumper from the wing with less than 20 seconds to play.
New To You
After using the same starting lineup in the first eight games of the season, SDSU head coach Barb Smith has shaken things up of late and has used a different set of starters in each of the last two games. Atim Otii, Jamey Cox and Claire Swinbank are the only Aztecs to have started all 10 games this season.
Getting Defensive
San Diego State has picked up the defensive intensity of late, holding four of its last six opponents below 40 percent shooting and all six below 42 percent. The Aztecs, who enter the week ranked fourth in the Mountain West in field goal percentage defense at 38.8 percent, have now held half of their 2001-02 opponents under 40 percent from the field, including San Jose State (36 percent), Sacramento State, (27 percent -- a season-low for an SDSU opponent ) and UMKC (33 percent) in three of their last four games. Since SDSU's win over Navy on Nov. 25th, opponents have connected on just 119-of-372 (36.4 percent) attempts from the field.
It's All About Defense
With its 61.3 ppg scoring average, San Diego State is going to flat-out out-score few opponents. And with that in mind, head coach Barb Smith continues to hound the Aztecs about playing tough defense.
Over the past two seasons, the 60-point plateau has been key for the Aztecs. When San Diego State has held an opponent below 60 points during the last two years the Aztecs are 23-6 (.793).
The formula has held in nine of the 10 games thus far in 2001-02 as the Aztecs held Cal Poly to just 54 points, Prairie View A&M to only 46 and Sac. State and UMKC to 51 in four victories, but yielded 74 points in their loss at California, 63 versus UCSD, 75 at TCU, 65 against San Jose State and 66 at Creighton.
The only time San Diego State did break form this season occurred versus Navy, when the Aztecs gave up 69 points in their victory over the Midshipmen.
Tougher To Read Than The Dow-Jones
When it comes to turnovers, San Diego State has been tougher to gauge than the Dow-Jones Industrial average. Just when your ready to sell, like after SDSU's 31-turnover outing versus Sac. State, the Aztecs bounce back with back-to-back solid efforts like week's games at UMKC (15) and Creighton (17).
SDSU has already had five games with at least 24 turnovers. However, it has also had five games with 20 or fewer. Last year, SDSU had only three 25+ TO games.
Hot Shots
After hitting on a season-low 33 percent from the field at TCU, San Diego State came back to produce its best shooting game of the season, connecting on 49 percent of its attempts versus San Jose State.
Including its back-to-back 40 percent shooting performances versus Sac. State and at UMKC, SDSU has now shot at least 40 percent in 8-of-10 games on the year, including three games over 45 percent.
As Easy As One, Two, THREE
One of San Diego State's biggest area of improvement on offense has come from behind the arc. The Aztecs shot a respectable 33.6 percent a year ago but are hitting 36 percent of their 3-pointers this season to rank fourth in the Mountain West Conference.
Just Shoot Me!
San Diego State is not only more accurate from beyond the arc this season, it is also much more productive. Entering Friday's game versus Radford, the Aztecs are averaging 5.0 3-pointers per game, up significantly from the 3.6 they averaged a year ago.
Whose Got Next?
Through 10 games, the scoring has been spread around by the Aztecs, who have had five different players turn in high-point honors. San Diego State has also had six players score in double digits at least twice. Atim Otii leads the way with seven double-digit scoring games with Ashonda Williams not far behind with six double-digit scoring games followed by Claire Swinbank with five each, Jamey Cox with four, Morgan Vargas with three, and Missy Schomaker with two.
Keys To Victory
Scoring may sell tickets, but rebounding and turnovers continue to be the keys to victory for San Diego State. The Aztecs have out-rebounded four opponents and come away winners three times. Sacramento State and UMKC are the only SDSU opponent to out-rebound the Aztecs (45-37) and lose. The Aztecs lost for the first time when out-rebounding an opponent at Creighton. SDSU is also 4-1 when committing fewer miscues.
Starts Piling Up For Otii
San Diego State senior Atim Otii made her 66th straight start at Creighton Saturday. She is the only Aztec to start every game over the past two-plus seasons.
Offensive Output
Atim Otii's continues to be one of the Mountain West's hottest shooters and that has made her the Aztecs' leading scorer. Though she has only paced San Diego State on the scoreboard just once, Otii leads the Aztecs in double-figure scoring games with seven. In addition to being a team best, her 11.1 ppg scoring average ranks 17th in the conference and is well above her 7.9 ppg career scoring average.
Double Plays
In addition to being the Aztecs' leading scorer, Otii also leads the team in double-doubles with three. The senior notched No. 3 of the season last week at Creighton with 12 points and a career-best-tying 12 rebounds. Earlier this season, Otii recorded double-doubles versus Cal Poly (16-10) and Navy (17-11).
More Than Ever Before
Otii entered 2001-02 with two career double-doubles. She has already exceeded that number this season alone and now owns five for her career. She is the only Aztec to post a double-double this year.
As Advertised
Junior-college transfer Ashonda Williams came to San Diego State with a reputation as a big-time scorer after pouring in over 1,200 points in just two seasons at Contra Costa College. Through 10 games, Williams has already finished in double figures six times and has led the Aztecs in scoring in five games, including her 10-point outing Thursday at UMKC. She is averaging 9.1 ppg to rank third on the team in scoring.
Bombs Away
For two years, the Aztecs have been looking for an outside shooter to compliment Jamey Cox. It appears that search is now over as newcomer Ashonda Williams continues to knock down shot after shot from beyond the arc.
Williams, who led the California state JC ranks in three-point shooting last season, has been more than solid since arriving at SDSU and trails only Cox in both 3-pointers made (16) and leads the team in 3-point shooting percentage among players with more than 10 makes (37 percent).
In the Mountain West Conference, Williams ranks 13th in 3-point field goal percentage in ninth in threes made.
Scho-Shines
Missy Schomaker (pronounced SHOO-maker) finally cracked the starting lineup last week at UMKC and Creighton, after supplying the Aztecs with plenty of solid minutes off the bench this season.
The Lincoln, Neb., native had her best outing in nearly a year versus San Jose State, scoring a team- and season-high 14 points in 26 minutes of work. She has also had solid performances against UC San Diego, scoring a team-high 13 points and grabbing a career-best eight rebounds and against Sac. State with eight points, six boards and four assists in just 17 minutes on the floor. At UMKC, the senior had perhaps the most clutch performance of her career, drilling back-to-back treys to help the Aztecs rally from an eight-point second half deficit.
Mac's Back
After eight long weeks of rehab, Nicolette McCartny is finally back in the Aztecs' lineup. A projected starter entering the season, the sophomore forward suffered a severe ankle sprain in practice Nov. 3rd and had been unavailable for action.
McCartny finally saw her first playing time against San Jose State but didn't have a big impact until the UMKC game when she knocked down the game-winning shot with 11.3 second to play.
The sophomore came back against Creighton to make her first start of the year and finished with six points and a career-high eight rebounds.
Last season, McCartny averaged just under six points and started 13 games.
3-Point Threat
Jamey Cox continues to show why she is considered one of the Mountain West's most dangerous players from beyond the arc. Cox, who has connected on 35 percent (19-for-54) of her 3-point attempts this season and has hit at least one three in 9-of-10 games on the year. Cox ranks No. 14 in the Mountain West Conference in 3-point shooting and No. 5 in 3-pointers made per game (1.90). She has now made 139 treys during her two-plus year career at SDSU to rank No. 2 all time in that category.
Five Finger Discount
Senior Claire Swinbank has added a new feature to her game this season ... steals. Swinbank had a career-high six versus Sacramento State. She added three more last week and now has 23 on the season, good for fifth in the Mountain West Conference.
More 'Bank Shots
Claire Swinbank has gotten her final season off to a strong start. The senior guard has scored in double figures in 5-of-10 contests, including a team-best 13-points last Saturday at Creighton and a season-high 15 points at California.
Poised From The Perimeter
Jamey Cox and Ashonda Williams may get most of the recognition as SDSU's top outside threats, but Claire Swinbank as been the Aztecs' most consistent shooter from the perimeter thus far.
Swinbank, who almost single-handedly shot San Diego State back into the Creighton game with three straight jumpers during at 10-1 run late in the contest, is connecting on over 41 percent of her attempts from the field, including 55 percent (6-for-11) from beyond the arc.
Swinbank is also second the team in assists with 46 (4.6 apg), including a career-best nine versus Navy.
Two Can Play At That Game
In addition to ranking among the Mountain West Conference's top scorers, Jamey Cox and Claire Swinbank are also among the league's top playmakers. Cox has had at least six assists in 8-of-10 games this season and enters Friday's contest ranked at No. 3 with 5.2 assists per game. Swinbank, who dished up seven assists against San Jose State and another five versus Sacramento State, is No. 6 with 4.6 apg.
Up Next
The Aztecs will have a short turnaround following Friday night's game versus Radford as the Aztecs host Detroit at Cox Arena less than 48 hours later. Detroit, 4-4 entering the week, plays at UC Irvine on Friday night before heading south to face the Aztecs at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Titans have two players averaging double figures this season. Michelle James leads the way with 16.9 ppg, while 1,000-point scorer Molly Peterman is averaging 12.0 ppg. Randee Henry is UDM's leading rebounder with 8.1 boards per contest.