Nov. 22, 2009
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team limited visiting Arizona to only 19 points in each half, as the Aztecs claimed a hard-fought 57-38 victory Saturday evening at the first-ever JHG Jam at Viejas Arena. With the win, SDSU improved to a perfect 3-0 and won its 18th straight regular-season contest on its home floor, while the Wildcats fell to 2-1 following the first meeting between the two sides in 11 years.
The Aztecs were led by junior center Paris Johnson (San Diego, Calif.), who logged her 13th career double-double with 18 points and a season-best 10 rebounds to go with four blocked shots and three steals in only 25 minutes of action. Classmate Jessika Bradley (Sacramento, Calif.) matched Johnson's rebounding effort with 10 of her own for her third-straight game in double-figures and also had three blocked shots.
Senior guard Jené Morris (San Francisco, Calif.) was the only other SDSU player in double-figure points with 12, bolstered by a pair of three-pointers. Morris and junior Allison Duffy (Lakeside, Calif.) each recorded four of the team's 14 steals on the night, and junior Coco Davis (Sacramento, Calif.) posted seven points and a game-high seven assists.
The contest proved to be a physical battle almost from the outset, as both teams guarded each other closely up the floor and contested most every shot. There were four tie scores in the first half, before San Diego State could put some distance between themselves and the Wildcats in the final two minutes until the break. Leading by only two points 21-19, Johnson hit a lay-up in the paint, Morris converted a three-pointer and Bradley made the first of two free throws to send the host into the locker room up 27-19.
The Aztecs used that momentum coming out of the break, going on a 13-2 run in the first five minutes to move out to a 40-23 lead with 14:51 remaining. That advantage grew to as many as 23 points at 50-27 on an Allison Duffy jumper. The SDSU lead dipped below 20 points in the final three minutes, but never fell further than 17, before claiming the 57-38 victory.
Neither team was able get into much of an offensive rhythm most of the night, as San Diego State shot just 37.1 percent from the field with 24 turnovers and Arizona boasted only a 31.3 field-goal percentage and had 27 giveaways. The Aztecs did finish with 10 blocked shots to go with a +11 margin on the glass and outscored the Wildcats 36-18 in the paint.
Arizona had only one player score in double-figures, junior forward Ify Ibekwe, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, but also 10 turnovers in 35 minutes.
In the nightcap of the 2009 JHG Jam, UCLA improved to 3-1 on the year with an easy 69-33 win over Utah.
San Diego State will hit the road next week to participate in the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands over the Thanksgiving Day holiday break, Nov. 26-28. The Aztecs will play two top 25 foes in No. 5/6 Notre Dame and No. 20/16 Oklahoma, before rounding out the tournament with South Carolina.
2009 JHG Jam
Viejas Arena - San Diego, Calif. - Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009
Game 1 - San Diego State 57, Arizona 38
Game 2 - UCLA 69, Utah 33