Nov. 25, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU-USD Box Score in PDF Format
The San Diego State women's basketball team overcame a nine-point, second-half deficit, but was unable to complete the comeback, falling 63-60 to the University of San Diego Tuesday evening at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. With the loss, the Aztecs dropped to 2-2 on the year, while the Toreros improved to 3-2 after their fourth-straight win in the series on their home floor.
Junior guard Jené Morris (San Francisco, Calif.) scored 11 of her team-best 14 points in the second half and also contributed three steals. Classmate Quenese Davis (Sacramento, Calif.) added 12 points, three assists and three steals, while her sister Coco Davis (Sacramento, Calif.) scored in double-figures for the second time this season with 10 points and tallied a career-best five steals, all of which came in the first half.
The Aztecs got in foul trouble early in the game as both Morris and starting center Paris Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) got two quick fouls apiece and played just 10 and two minutes each in the first half. Even without Morris and Johnson, the SDSU hung tough, trailing by just five points on two occasions, including at 28-23 with 2:52 left until the break.
The Aztecs got a spark off the bench from true freshman Kalena Tutt (Long Beach, Calif.), as the center scored the first five points of her career to keep the team close. A Quenese Davis three-pointer cut the Torero lead to just two at 28-26, and then Coco Davis followed that effort up with a jumper and two straight steals and three-point plays to put SDSU ahead by four points, 34-30, heading in to the locker room.
Out of the break, USD rode the hot shooting of forward Kiva Herman, who finished the game 9-for-11 from the field, to not only erase the deficit, but also go up by as many as nine points at 51-42 with 7:55 remaining.
The San Diego State offense, which managed just six points in the first 11:45 of the second half, finally woke up as a Jennifer Layton-Bailes' (Sacramento, Calif.) jumper kick started a 14-4 run that put the Aztecs back ahead 56-55 with just over three minutes left.
USD retook the lead on two free throws and was up by four points with 32 seconds left on a lay-up by Dominique Conners. SDSU countered on its next trip down the court when sophomore guard Jerica Williams (San Diego, Calif.) banked in a three-pointer from the left angle to get to with just one 61-60. The Aztecs stole the ensuing in-bound pass, but Morris was unable to hold on, as two more USD free throws closed out the 63-60 victory.
The Aztecs had a season-best 13 steals, but could not overcome a -10 margin on the boards and a 13-for-21 performance at the stripe.
Herman led the Toreros with 18 points, while Amber Sprague had 17 points, nine rebounds and five steals.
San Diego State will play three more games this week as it travels to Hawai'i for the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic. The Aztecs play host Hawai'i at 3:20 p.m. HT on Friday, followed by two 11 a.m. HT tips against Prairie View A&M (Saturday) and No. 25/22 Iowa State (Sunday). Live audio will be available for all games on SDSU's official website, www.goaztecs.com.