Jan. 22, 2005
LARAMIE, Wyo. - The San Diego State women's basketball team was scoreless through the first 10:15 of the game and were unable to make up the deficit, falling to Wyoming, 69-43, Saturday afternoon at Arena Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo. With the loss, the Aztecs fell to 6-9 and 1-2 in Mountain West Conference play, while the Cowgirls improved to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in league action.
SDSU junior Michelle Strawberry (Corona, Calif.) had nine of the team's 19 first-half points, finishing with 12 for her third consecutive outing in double-figures. Strawberry, who had a career high four threes at Colorado State Thursday, added a pair of triples Saturday. Redshirt freshman Jordie Smith (Ft. Collins, Colo.) contributed seven points and a team-best five rebounds, while sophomore Jessica Huettl (Eau Claire, Wis.) chipped in six points in 18 minutes of action.
The Aztecs found themselves in a hole early, as they did not score their first points of the game until the 9:45 mark when Lindsey Casey (Odessa, Texas) found Michelle Elliott (Pasco, Wash.) under the basket for a lay-up to put SDSU behind by 16 points at 18-2. The Cowgirls' scoring run was stopped just initially, as Wyoming's lead grew to as many as 23 (29-6) at the 5:05 mark.
The Aztecs reached double-figures with a pair of Strawberry free throws at 31-11, but the Cowgirls, who shot 68.4 percent from the field in the first half, led by 24 going into the locker room at 39-15.
The SDSU would get as close as 23 points, after trailing by as many as 29 points on three occasions, before falling 69-43.
The Aztecs held Wyoming's Ashley Elliott, the conference's second-leading scorer, to just eight points, but freshman Hannah Zavecz recorded a game-high 16 in the victory. The Cowgirls finished the contest by shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 50 percent (6-for-12) from beyond the arc.
San Diego State heads home for a two-game stretch when it plays host to Mountain West Conference opponent Air Force Thursday at 7 p.m. and reigning league champion New Mexico Saturday at 5 p.m.