Jan. 11, 2006
SAN DIEGO - In a game between two schools vying for their first conference win of the season, the San Diego State women's basketball team fell to preseason league favorite Utah, 76-39, Wednesday night at Cox Arena. With the loss, the Aztecs fell to 3-10 overall and 0-3 in the MWC, while the Utes improved to 10-4 and 1-2 in league action.
San Diego State freshman LaSandra Dixon (Azusa, Calif.) scored a career high 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting in just eight minutes of action all in the second half. Junior Desiree Johnson (Kahuku, Hawaii) had seven points and four rebounds before fouling out, while the Aztecs' leading scorer Michelle Strawberry (Corona, Calif.) was limited to six points in only 17 minutes, spraining an ankle in the opening minute of the game before returning mid-way through the first half.
SDSU opened the night with a 4-0 lead on lay-ups by Johnson and Strawberry. Utah quickly answered with a lay-up and three straight triples by three different players in a span of just 1:37 to go up by five at 11-6. A jumper from the left elbow by Aztec Veronica Shaw (Phoenix, Ariz.) cut the lead to three, but Utah went on a 6-0 run and eventually led by 12 at the half at 31-19.
Coming out of the locker room, SDSU was unable to find its offensive rhythm, scoring just three points all from the charity stripe in the first 13:41 before Johnson made the team's first field goal of the second half with 6:19 remaining. By that juncture, Utah had built a 43-point lead at 67-24, before going on to eventually claim the 76-39 victory.
Utah was led by three-time MWC player of the year, Kim Smith, who scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Julie Larsen added 13 points and had three of the Utes' nine three-pointers.
SDSU played without starting point guard Tamika Lipford (Oceanside, Calif.) for the third straight outing. Lipford, who started the season's first 10 games, strained a ligament in her right knee on Dec. 30, and has seen limited action in practice this week .
The Aztecs head out on the road on Saturday for another Mountain West Conference game at UNLV, beginning at 7 p.m.