Dec. 11, 2009
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team went on a 5-0 run in the final 43 seconds to win a close battle with visiting Long Beach State, 67-62, Friday evening at Viejas Arena. With the victory, the Aztecs picked up their fifth straight win in the series with the 49ers to improve to 5-4 on the year, while LBSU dropped to 3-6 in 2009-10.
"I'm really pleased with our team in keeping their poise," SDSU head coach Beth Burns said. "We've had a tough stretch and for us to stay positive, battle and be disciplined enough to continue to chip away until we did the things we needed to do to win, was something that I was impressed with."
SDSU senior Quenese Davis (Sacramento, Calif.) notched her second 20-point scoring outing of the season, pouring in a game-high 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting to go with eight rebounds in 34 minutes. Three other Aztec starters had 10 or more points, including forward Jessika Bradley (Sacramento, Calif.), who had 13 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the year. Junior forward Allison Duffy (Lakeside, Calif.) had 13 points as well, while junior center Paris Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) tallied 10 points and seven rebounds.
Both sides got off to a good start shooting the ball, as the two schools combined to make their first seven field-goal attempts. The 49ers made five straight shots, including a pair of three-pointers to open the night, but the Aztecs also got a triple from Davis and two from reserve guard Kim Spinardi (Merced, Calif.). LBSU led by as many as seven points at the 3:16 mark, before SDSU got to within a pair at the break, 31-29.
The visitors remained ahead for almost the entire second half, until Bradley tied it at 54-54 on her second free throw and the Aztecs took the lead on two more shots at the stripe by Duffy. The score would be tied three more occasions, including with 1:44 left, but SDSU got a jumper in the paint from Davis and then she converted two free throws following an LBSU technical foul. Bradley closed out scoring with a free throw to secure the 67-62 win.
The 49ers, who outshot the Aztecs from the field, had four players finish in double-figure scoring, including Ally Wade, who had 18 points and was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.
The Aztecs will take a break for final exams before traveling to Loyola Marymount on Dec. 21 for a 6 p.m. outing with the Lions in Los Angeles, Calif.