Feb. 23, 2002
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - San Diego State pushed New Mexico to the wire with a gusty performance in front of 12,868 raucous fans Saturday afternoon in The Pit, leading for three-fourths of the game. However SDSU couldn't hold on down the stretch as the Lobos rallied to defeat the Aztecs, 63-53.
Jamey Cox drilled four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points and Claire Swinbank added 10 for San Diego State (10-15, 2-10 MWC).
But they were the only Aztecs who scored in double digits, as SDSU's other scoring threat, senior forward Atim Otii, was saddled with foul trouble all game long and was held scoreless for the first time this season before fouling out with just under five minutes to play.
The Aztecs also struggled from the field down the stretch, shooting just 32 percent in the second half when the game was decided.
"I was really proud of how out players rose to the challenge," said SDSU head coach Barb Smith. "This his got to be one of the toughest places in the nation to play and we hung with them the whole way."
New Mexico (20-6, 9-3 MWC), which got a game-high 19 points from Jordan Adams and 10 more from Lindsey Arndt won for the 14th time at home this season, including six straight Mountain West Conference games.
San Diego State led by as many as nine points with five minutes remaining in the first half, but couldn't maintain its advantage as New Mexico scored seven of the half's final nine points, then held the Aztecs to eight points in the first 12 minutes of the second period, to take a 45-36 lead with eight minutes to go.
The Lobos advantage grew to as many as 13 in the game's final minute before Ashonda Williams and Missy Schomaker hit back-to-back 3-pointers around a Mandy Moore free throw to pull the Aztecs within eight.
But that's as close as SDSU would get as Adams closed out the game with a pair of free throws to provide the final margin of victory.
San Diego State started the game slow but turned things around in a hurry, using a 19-4 run to take an eight-point lead midway through the opening period. Cox drilled two of her three first-half treys during the spurt as the Aztecs took total control of the game during the six-minute span.
The Aztecs' lead reached 26-17 with four minutes to go intermission before the Lobos rallied to score seven of the half's final nine points, cutting SDSU's advantage to 28-24 at the break.
The San Diego State women's basketball team returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 28th when the Aztecs open a women's-men's doubleheader in Cox Arena at 5:30 p.m. against Utah.