Nov. 23, 2010
SAN DIEGO - A pair of turnovers in the final 1:33 of the game proved costly, as the San Diego State women's basketball team was unable to record its first victory of the season, falling to visiting UC Irvine, 68-66, Tuesday at Viejas Arena. With the loss, the Aztecs, who rallied to tie the score after a pair of seven-point deficits, dropped to 0-3 overall and the Anteaters improved to 1-3 on the year.
SDSU sophomore guard Courtney Clements (Long Beach, Calif.) posted a team-best 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, while seniors Jessika Bradley (Sacramento, Calif.) and Paris Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) both chipped in 13 points apiece. Bradley was one rebound short of a double-double with nine boards and senior guard Coco Davis (Sacramento, Calif.) matched her career best with five of the Aztecs' 13 steals on the night.
San Diego State got off to a good start, scoring eight straight points within the first two minutes of the contest for an 8-0 lead. The Anteaters finally got on the board with a jumper by Jade Smith-Williams, followed quickly by a 3-pointer by Kassandra McCalister to cut their deficit to just three.
The Aztecs continued to hold a two possession advantage until going up by seven points on two occasions, including at 22-15. UC Irvine didn't back down, eventually knotting the game at 22 and again at 24 points, and taking the lead for the remainder of the first half with an 18-11 run and a 42-35 advantage at the break.
SDSU quickly erased the UCI lead by scoring the first six points of the second half and tying the game for the third time at 44-44. The Aztecs, however, were never able to jump ahead, as the game was knotted three more occasions, but the Anteaters continued to score the very next bucket.
The final tie came at 63-63 with 3:58 left in the game. UC Irvine got a fastbreak basket off a steal, followed by a miscommunication on a hand-off between Clements and Davis that resulted in another giveaway, which the Anteaters converted into two free throws with 18 seconds left. Davis hit a long 3-pointer to close the gap to just two, but too little time was left for another possession as the Anteaters came away with the 68-66 victory.
San Diego State, which was in foul trouble most of the evening, owned a slightly better shooting percentage and forced 22 UC Irvine turnovers, but the Anteaters scored 14 fastbreak points and had 17 second-chance points with the help of their 26 offensive rebounds.
UCI was led by Mikah Maly-Karros' 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Smith-Williams had 19 points and five assists.
The Aztecs head on the road for their next five contests, starting this Friday with the first game of the Nugget Classic against Minnesota at 3 p.m. PT at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev. SDSU will then play either North Carolina State or host Nevada on Saturday in either the consolation or championship game at 5 or 7 p.m.