Dec. 7, 2006
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team recorded its third-straight victory with its second overtime win in as many games, rallying for a 70-68 victory over Cal Poly Thursday at Cox Arena. The Aztecs came back from a 10-point second-half deficit to improve to 4-3 overall, while the Mustangs dropped to 4-4 in 2006-07.
"As coaches, especially this early in the season, we want to think of all the things that we could have done better, but the bottom line is that we did the most important thing, which is win the game," Aztec head coach Beth Burns said. "When you can struggle the way we struggled (early in the game) and still show a little heart and guts to put a string together and win the game, it really shows the resiliency of our team."
SDSU was led by junior Jennifer Layton (Sacramento, Calif.), who had 18 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double, while adding a career-best four blocks. Senior center Desiree Johnson (Kahuku, Hawaii) recorded a double-double for the second straight game with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Freshman point guard Quenese Davis (Sacramento, Calif.) added 13 points and junior guard Kate Eveland (Southlake, Texas), who hit the game-winning basket with 1:47 left in overtime, had 11 points.
The Aztecs trailed by 10 at 53-43 with 8:11 remaining in the second half, but outscored the Mustangs 12-2 over the next four minutes, tying the game at 55 points apiece on sophomore LaSandra Dixon's second of two free throws.
The two sides traded leads three more times with SDSU appearing to secure the victory in regulation on Layton's layup with 19 seconds left and the score 62-59. Coming out of a timeout, Cal Poly, however, sent the game to overtime when Megan Harrison's three pointer from the right angle went in to knot the game at 62 points apiece.
The Aztecs took the early lead in overtime on a Davis layup the first time down the floor, but the Mustangs tied the contest at 64 points apiece and again at 68. Eveland's jumper from just inside the three-point line with 1:47 left proved to be the winner, as Cal Poly had three costly turnovers in the final 1:18, giving SDSU its sixth straight win in the series, 70-68.
The victory is the Aztecs' third straight, giving SDSU its first three-game win streak since the 2003-04 campaign.
Cal Poly had three players in double-figure scoring, led by Harrison, who had 20 points.
San Diego State is back in action Sunday afternoon for a 2 p.m. game with another in-state foe, Saint Mary's, at Cox Arena.