Feb. 4, 2009
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team went 10-for-17 from beyond the arc to cruise to an 83-58 victory over visiting UNLV on Wednesday evening at Cox Arena. With the win and losses by both TCU and New Mexico, the Aztecs claimed sole possession of second place in the Mountain West Conference with a 6-2 record following the final game of the first round of league action. SDSU improved to 15-5 overall, including a perfect 11-0 at home, while the Lady Rebels dropped to 9-12 and 2-6 in MWC play.
"I loved the way we started the game," Aztec head coach Beth Burns said. "We came out and really set the tone. Our shots dropped and we were much more comfortable offensively."
Six different Aztecs contributed to the team's 10-for-17 (58.8) effort from three-point land, including leading scorer junior Jené Morris (San Francisco, Calif.), who tallied 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Morris was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc in just 24 minutes of action. Three other SDSU players finished in double-figure points with senior Jennifer Layton-Bailes (Sacramento, Calif.) scoring 15 points, junior Quenese Davis (Sacramento, Calif.) tallying 13 points and sophomore Paris Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) adding 10 points.
Sophomore Jerica Williams (San Diego, Calif.) and senior LaSandra Dixon (Azusa, Calif.) each had eight points, including two triples apiece. Davis recorded a team-high seven of the Aztecs' 19 assists, while Johnson fell short of her fifth straight double-double with seven rebounds in only 25 minutes of action.
San Diego State led the entire game, using three, 3-pointers within the first three and a half minutes to build a nine-point lead at 15-6. The Aztecs continued to make baskets, pushing their advantage into double-figures on a lay-up by Morris.
UNLV got to within eight points following a pair of free-throws at the 6:56 mark, but SDSU used a 13-2 run to jump out to a 19-point lead at 38-19 and led by 15 at the break at 39-24.
The Lady Rebel deficit became 20 points at the 14:54 mark of the second half and the visitors got as close as 15 points following a three-pointer at 55-40. The Aztecs responded with back-to-back three pointers and ending up winning easily, 83-58 for their fourth-straight win over UNLV.
SDSU shot 50 percent from the field overall and its 10 three-pointers tied a team season high set earlier this year against Iowa State. The Aztecs also forced 27 UNLV turnovers, getting 13 steals, and won the rebounding battle (30-27) against a team that averaged over 40 boards a contest.
The Lady Rebels, who went 27-for-36 from the free-throw line, were led by Shamela Hampton's 17 points and Jaime Smith's 10 points.
San Diego State begins the second half of MWC action on the road this Saturday, when the Aztecs travel to Air Force for a 2 p.m. MT game at Clune Arena. Chris Ello will have the live audio call on SDSU's official website, www.goaztecs.com.