Dec. 4, 2002
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team fell to UC Irvine, 58-61, in overtime Wednesday night at Cox Arena. With the loss, SDSU snapped a seven-game winning streak against the Anteaters, dating back to January 9, 1988, and dropped to 2-3 on the young season. UC Irvine, meanwhile, improved to 4-1, as the Aztecs have now lost four consecutive overtime games.
Aztec freshman Ashlee Dunlap (Los Angeles, Calif.) led SDSU with her third double-double of the season, tallying 17 points and 12 rebounds. Dunlap's 17 points were a career-best, while seniors Jamey Cox (Waterloo, Iowa) and Valencia Howard (Richmond, Calif.) each added eight.
SDSU was held to just two points in the first five minutes of action, before Aztec Ashonda Williams (Crockett, Calif.) buried a three-pointer to get San Diego State back into the game, 5-6. Veronica Shaw (Phoenix, Ariz.) hit a jumper to give SDSU its first lead of the game at 15-14. SDSU then went on an 8-0 run, before Anteater Lauren Yadon tied the game at 19.
Aztec Heather Wolf's (Stayton, Ore.) three-pointer with just over six minutes remaining in the first half put San Diego State up 22-19. SDSU would hold on to that advantage for the remainder of the period, leading by as many as 12 points, before going into the half with a 27-34 lead.
San Diego State carried its momentum early in the second half, adding four points to its lead before UC Irvine scored nine unanswered points. UCI's Lisa Faulkner's three-pointer cut the SDSU lead to three, 40-37.
The Anteaters and Aztecs swapped leads until the final minutes of the second half, when Faulkner again made a shot from beyond the arc with 40 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime at 54-54.
SDSU's Nicolette McCartny (Chicago, Ill.) gave the Aztecs the early lead in overtime at 57-54, but it was not enough as Yadon scored twice for her squad, to go along with Ashley Biggins' three free throws for the Anteaters' 61-58 victory.
Yadon finished the game with a team-high 15 points, while teammates Christina Callaway (12) and Faulkner (13) both finished in double-figures.
SDSU will stay in San Diego, but travel across town to the University of San Diego for a 7 p.m. game with the Toreros at Jenny Craig Pavilion, Dec. 11.