Dec. 30, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The San Diego State women's basketball team left the state of Alabama empty-handed dropping its second and final game at the Lady Blazer Invitational, falling to Brown 57-49, Tuesday afternoon in Bartow Arena. With the loss, the Aztecs closed out 2003 at 4-7 overall, while the Bears improved to 3-6 this season.
Sophomore Ashlee Dunlap (Los Angeles, Calif.) tallied her second double-double in as many days and her eighth of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Michelle Elliott (Pasco, Wash.) returned to double-figures in scoring after a one-game absence, posting a team best 16 points and four steals. Freshman Courtney Fritz (Newberg, Ore.) also added nine points all from beyond the arc.
In the first half, the Aztecs took an early 5-4 lead and then scored 13 unanswered points with the help of a pair three-pointers by Elliott. Brown then went on a run of its own, cutting its deficit to just six points at 18-12, before SDSU ended its own offensive drought of over four minutes with a lay-up by Dunlap. The Bears took advantage of several Aztec turnovers to continue its comeback, trailing by just three points at 20-17.
Brown evened the game by outscoring SDSU 9-6 to head into the locker room dead even at 26 points all on a last second three-pointer at the top of the key by Holly Robertson.
The Bears completed their comeback with the first four points of the second half to take its first lead, going up 30-26, before the Aztecs tied the game up again at 30-30 on lay-ups by Michelle Strawberry (Corona, Calif.) and Nicolette McCartny (Chicago, Ill.).
Brown hit three straight three-pointers to gain its largest lead to that point at 39-33 with just over 12 minutes remaining. The Aztecs went without a point for almost six minutes until Elliott hit a pair of free throws to get to four points with 9:56 left.
The Bears would immediately respond and go back up by six points, before SDSU would draw them back to within reach, trailing by only two points three times, including as late as 43-45. Brown, however, withstood the Aztec rally, coming out ahead at the final buzzer, 57-49.
Brown, which outrebounded SDSU 50-32, was led by guard Sarah Hayes' 15 points and 10 rebounds.
San Diego State heads back to Cox Arena for its final two non-conference games of the regular season, beginning with a with a Tuesday night game on Jan. 6, at 7 p.m. versus Santa Clara.