Dec. 4, 2009
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -
San Diego State overcame an early 10-point deficit and a hot-shooting UC Riverside team for a 66-59 victory over the Highlanders Friday night at Student Recreation Center in Riverside, Calif. Playing their fourth consecutive game away from Viejas Arena, the Aztecs improved to 4-3 on the season, while UCR dropped to 2-5.
SDSU was led by the trio of junior Paris Johnson (San Diego, Calif.), and seniors Quenese Davis (Sacramento, Calif.) and Jené Morris (San Francisco, Calif.), which combined to score 55 of the team's 66 points, including 35 of the 37 second half points.
Johnson logged her 14th career double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds in 27 minutes. The 15 rebounds matched a career high, which was set March 7, 2009 at UNLV. She made all five of her free-throw attempts.
Davis scored 16 of her game-high 20 points in the second half and dished out a season-high eight assists. She now has 993 career points and is just seven shy of becoming the 18th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Morris, meanwhile, overcame a slow start to finish the game with 18 points, including a pair of three-pointers, and five steals. Both players played all 40 minutes in the backcourt for San Diego State.
The Aztecs struggled out of the gate, getting down by as many as 10 points on a three-pointer by UC Riverside's Amber Cox with 10:14 remaining in the first half. SDSU answered with eight consecutive points, including six by Johnson, to close within two with 7:17 left. San Diego State finally took the lead at 27-26 on a pair of free-throws by junior Jessika Bradley (Sacramento, Calif.), but was outscored, 5-2, over the final 3:56 to head into intermission trailing by a 31-29 margin.
The momentum went back and forth in the second half as the Highlanders answered the Aztecs' runs with three-pointers and long jumpers. In fact, UCR, a 29.5 three-point shooting team coming into the game, made 9-of-18 from beyond the three-point arc.
SDSU, however, took the lead for good at 48-47 on a Davis lay-up with 9:38 left in the second half. The lay-up was part of an 11-0 San Diego State run that culminated with a three-pointer by Morris to put the visitors up, 55-47 with 7:23 remaining in the game.
UC Riverside closed to within five points at 64-59 at the 51-second mark, but a steal and a pair of free-throws by Davis sealed the victory for the Aztecs.
SDSU has now won its last seven games in the month of December, spanning three seasons, and has won eight consecutive meetings against Big West foes.
San Diego State returns the America's Finest City on Tuesday (Dec. 8) with a game against Pepperdine.