Feb. 8, 2007
SAN DIEGO - Four players scored in double-figures to help the San Diego State women's basketball team win two straight league games for the first time since 2003, as the Aztecs defeated visiting UNLV 67-54 Thursday at Cox Arena. With the win, SDSU logged its fourth Mountain West Conference victory of the year, its most since 2001, improving to 4-6 overall and moving into a tie for sixth place in the league standings. The Aztecs are now 11-10 on the season, while the Lady Rebels dropped to 10-12 and 4-6 in MWC play.
Freshman Quenese Davis (Sacramento, Calif.) led SDSU in points for the second-straight outing with 15 to go with seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. Junior Kate Eveland (Southlake, Texas) had 14 points with 12 of those coming on four three-point field goals. Junior Shanna Demus (Palmdale, Calif.) added 11 points, while junior Jennifer Layton (Sacramento, Calif.) had 10.
Senior Desiree Johnson (Kahuku, Hawaii) pulled down a team game-high 10 boards and added three of the Aztecs' nine blocks on the evening.
The visiting Lady Rebels got off to an early 5-0 lead, but the Aztecs kept the game close, tying the score at seven, nine, 16 and 18. Coming out of the 18-18 tie, SDSU took its first lead of the night on a lay-up following a steal by Davis. UNLV got a jumper from Faye Muller to answer back and retook the lead on another jumper at the 6:40 mark by Shamela Hampton.
The two sides were deadlocked four more times before the end of the half, but UNLV went into the locker room up by one at 30-29 on a pair of free throws in the final minute by Sequoia Holmes.
Two lead changes highlighted the first minute and a half coming out of the break, before the Aztecs got a valuable three-pointer from sophomore LaSandra Dixon (Azusa, Calif.) to put the host up by one at 35-34 at the 17:58 mark. That three-pointer would spark a 9-0 run, as the Aztecs would earn a lead that they would never relinquish.
The Lady Rebels got to within a pair at 41-39, but SDSU rallied again to outscore their opponents 10-0, capped by an Eveland three-pointer at 50-39. Eveland would contribute two more triples over the next three minutes, as the Aztecs made eight of their nine foul shots in the final 2:01 to close out the 67-54 win.
Hampton led the Lady Rebels with 23 points, while Muller added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. UNLV outrebounded SDSU 43-30, but was unable to overcome a 33.3 field-goal percentage and 24 turnovers.
The Aztecs continue conference play by heading to the Air Force Academy next Thursday for a 7 p.m. MST game at Clune Arena that will be televised live on the mtn.