Jan. 16, 2013
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LAS VEGAS - Powered by Chelsea Hopkins' (Las Vegas, Nev.) second career triple-double, the San Diego State women's basketball team rolled to a 74-60 victory over UNLV on Wednesday in a Mountain West clash at Cox Pavilion.
Hopkins made a triumphant return to her hometown, posting game highs of 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to help the Aztecs (11-5, 2-1 MW) defeat the Lady Rebels (5-12, 1-2 MW) for the fifth straight time and 11th in the last 12 meetings. With her performance, the SDSU senior logged just the sixth triple-double in MW history and became just the second player since the league's inception to accomplish the feat on two occasions, joining TCU's Helena Sverrisdottir in 2010-11.
In addition to Hopkins' heroics, which included a career-best 10 field goals on 14 attempts, the Aztecs received 14 points from senior Courtney Clements (Long Beach, Calif.), who overcame a slow start after scoring just three in the first half, while sophomore Khristina Hunter (Fairfield, Calif.) pulled down 11 rebounds. The SDSU charge also included a 9-point effort from redshirt freshman Deajanae Scurry (Los Angeles, Calif.), while senior Gabrielle Clark (Los Angeles, Calif.) and sophomore Erimma Amarikwa (Vacaville, Calif.) chipped in eight apiece.
The Aztecs put on a rebounding clinic, maintaining a decisive 53-34 advantage on the boards, including a 26-15 edge on the offensive side, as the visitors outscored UNLV 30-14 on second-chance opportunities and 40-32 in the paint.
SDSU, which never trailed in the contest, also limited the Lady Rebels to 32.8 percent shooting for the night (19-58), including a 25-percent clip (7-28) in the first half. On the flip side, the Aztecs connected on 29 of 68 field-goal attempts (42.6 percent), draining 7-of-19 shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
Leading 21-16 with 6:49 remaining in the first half, SDSU broke the game open with a 12-0 run, featuring three straight layups by Hopkins and another by Amarikwa. UNLV countered with two foul shots and a jumper by Fredi Moderegger with 1:44 left, but Clements buried a 3-pointer shortly thereafter to snuff out the hosts' momentum and give the Aztecs a sizeable 36-22 advantage by intermission.
Following the break, SDSU enjoyed a series of 20-point leads, including a 58-35 spread at the 10:24 mark on the strength of two Clements free throws and a Hopkins jumper. UNLV could get no closer than 16 points until the waning seconds when Kelli Thompson and Rmanii Haynes converted back-to-back layups to provide the final margin of 74-60.
Thompson led the Lady Rebels with 18 points, while Alana Cesarz added 17 points of her own to go with six rebounds and two steals in the loss.
The Aztecs return to action on Saturday, Jan. 19, when they lock horns with Wyoming (13-3, 2-1 MW) at Viejas Arena. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. PT