Nov. 7, 2006
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State junior Jennifer Layton (Sacramento, Calif.) had 22 points and freshman Lauren Hoisington (Las Vegas, Nev.) and senior Desiree Johnson (Kahuku, Hawaii) each added double-doubles, as the Aztecs rolled to a 100-57 exhibition victory over the Arizona Venom Tuesday at Cox Arena. The win insured SDSU of at least a split in its two exhibition games for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
"I told the team before the game that they never get a second chance to make a first impression," Aztec head coach Beth Burns said. "The impression that I wanted to make was on ourselves - to get more confident (in our play) and to get to know each other better. I thought it was a really good start."
Layton scored 18 of her team game-high 22 points in the second half, making eight of her 10 shots. Johnson ended the first half with a double-double and finished the night with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Hoisington matched Johnson's performance on the boards with 12 rebounds to go along with 14 points. Junior Kate Eveland (Southlake, Texas) and sophomore LaSandra Dixon (Azusa, Calif.) also tallied double-figures in the scoring column with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Freshman Quenese Davis (Sacramento, Calif.) chipped in 13 assists, while all 10 Aztecs to see the court scored at least three points.
Despite a slow start, SDSU used its 66-31 advantage on the boards and a 49.4 field-goal percentage to easily outdistance the Arizona Venom, a team of former collegiate players. The Aztecs trailed by no more than two points to open the game, but led by only 13 points at 42-29 going into the locker room.
San Diego State doubled its halftime lead by the 5:11 mark of the second half and outscored the Venom, 23-6, the remainder of the game.
Arizona Venom center Amy Benson logged a game-high 24 points, while guard Tamika Daniel had 10 points in a losing effort.
SDSU concludes its two-game exhibition slate on Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest against Love & Basketball at Cox Arena. Admission is just $3. Live stats for Saturday's game are available via the internet on the school's official website, www.goaztecs.com.
The Aztecs officially begin the 2006-07 season on Tuesday, Nov. 14, when the University of Nevada travels to San Diego for a 7 p.m. game.