Dec. 20, 2005
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team limited visiting Boise State to a season-low 16 first-half points and went on to log its second consecutive victory, 54-51, Tuesday night at Cox Arena. With the win, the Aztecs improved to 2-5 on the season, while the Broncos fell to 6-4, following the two squads' first-ever meeting.
SDSU had three players finish in double-figures for the second consecutive outing, including senior Veronica Shaw (Phoenix, Ariz.), who recorded a team-high 14 points and matched a career-best with nine rebounds. Classmate Michelle Strawberry (Corona, Calif.) also had nine boards to go along with her 12 points, while sophomore Shanna Demus (Palmdale, Calif.) contributed a career-high 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Aztecs pounded the offensive glass, owning a 21-11 advantage in that category and posting a plus-12 advantage in overall rebounding. SDSU also went to the line 33 times, making only 19 of them, but converting on three in the final 44 seconds of the game.
San Diego State used its pressure defense to immediately get Boise State off balance, jumping out to an 8-0 lead before the Broncos scored their first points of the game at the 14:20 mark on a rebound basket by Jessica Thompson.
Boise State cut the lead to four points on two occasions, before SDSU went on an 8-0 run capped by a Demus three-pointer at 21-9. The Broncos closed out the first half with a mini-run of their own (7-2), but the Aztecs still led by seven points at 23-16 heading into the locker room.
The SDSU advantage stayed in single digits, until a pair of free throws by Tamika Lipford (Oceanside, Calif.), pushed the lead to 11 points at 39-28 with 10:57 remaining. The Aztecs appeared to be in control of the game, but Boise State's Nadia Begay scored 11 points in a span of just over four minutes to put her team down by just three points at 50-47.
The Broncos trailed by a single point on two occasions in the final 1:30. For the second straight contest, however, SDSU made just enough free throws (4-for-8) to preserve the close 54-51 victory.
Boise State was led offensively by Begay, who hit five three-pointers in the final 20 minutes, for a game-high 21 points.
SDSU rounds out its pre-holiday schedule with another non-conference home game Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. against Big East Conference member Pittsburgh at Cox Arena.