Jan. 29, 2004
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The San Diego State women's basketball team's first two-game conference road trip of the season got off to a bad start, as the Aztecs were limited to just 11 first-half points, eventually falling, 76-42, to host New Mexico Thursday night at "The Pit." With the loss, the Aztecs dropped to 6-11 overall and 1-3 in the MWC, while the Lobos improved to 11-6 and 3-1 in conference play.
SDSU freshman Courtney Fritz (Newberg, Ore.) had five points in the first half, finishing with 11 points, including three, three-pointers. Junior Candace Mattson (Alpine, Utah) also had 11 points, reaching double-figures for the first time in her career. Freshman Michelle Elliott (Pasco, Wash.) failed to reach the 10-point barrier for just the second time this season, chipping in seven points.
The Aztec offense got off to a rocky start, missing its first 12 shots from the field as the Lobos jumped out to a 21-0 lead, before SDSU finally got the board with the first of two free-throw attempts by junior Lindsey Casey (Odessa, Texas) at the 12:30 mark.
The Aztecs tallied their first field goal of the game with 6:12 remaining in the first half, when Fritz hit a jumper from the right-base line as the team still trailed 34-3. Fritz would add a three-pointer at the 3:08 mark, which was later matched by classmate Elliott, who pulled the SDSU deficit to 28 points at 37-9.
Mattson's lay-up put the Aztecs into double-figures before the break, trailing 44-11 at the half as the Lobos shot 64 percent (16-for-25) from the field and 62.5 percent from beyond the arc (5-for-8) in the first 20 minutes.
The SDSU offense got off to a better start coming out of the locker room, as four different players contributed the team's first four field goals. The Aztecs would almost triple their point output from the first half, scoring 31 in all, but only getting as close as 32 points before falling 76-42.
The Lobos had three players finish in double-figure scoring and were led by Melissa Forest's 11 points. New Mexico became the first Aztec opponent this season to shoot over 50 percent from the field, finishing with a 52.2 percent mark and a 53.8 clip from three-point land.
San Diego State continues Mountain West Conference play Saturday at Air Force, beginning at 2 p.m. MTS at Clune Arena. The Aztecs have won each of the last seven meetings with the Falcons.