Feb. 6, 2013
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BOISE, Idaho - The San Diego State women's basketball team received balanced scoring and a superb defensive effort en route to a 64-40 triumph over Boise State Wednesday in a Mountain West clash at Taco Bell Arena.
With the victory, the Aztecs (16-5, 7-1 MW) close off the first half of conference play with their seventh straight win and maintain a share of first place in the MW race with Fresno State, which was a 72-66 victor at UNLV.
Individually, sophomore Erimma Amarikwa (Vacaville, Calif.) led all scorers with 14 points, while senior Chelsea Hopkins (Las Vegas, Nev.) contributed 13 points, six rebounds, seven assists to go with a career-high tying five steals. In addition, senior Courtney Clements (Long Beach, Calif.) reached double figures with 12 points and added seven rebounds and three assists, while classmate Malia Nahinu (Hayward, Calif.) totaled eight points and matched her season best with four blocks.
SDSU limited the Broncos (10-11, 3-5 MW) to just 29.6 percent shooting on 16 of 54 field-goal attempts and registered 14 steals and nine blocks. Conversely, the Aztecs converted on 49.1 percent of their tries from the floor (28-57), while maintaining a 44-16 advantage in the paint and a 14-0 margin on fast-break opportunities.
With the score tied at 12-12 midway through the first half, SDSU fashioned a 10-2 spurt over a span of 3:05, as sophomore Chairese Culberson (Oakland, Calif.) and Hopkins connected on back-to-back layups to put the visitors up for good at 22-14 with 7:28 remaining. Boise State cut the margin to five on three occasions, including a 26-21 spread following a Brandi Henton jumper with 1:45 left. However, Clements buried a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to squelch the Bronco threat and provide the Aztecs a 29-21 cushion heading into the locker room.
SDSU afforded itself from breathing room after intermission, employing a 14-3 run over the first 6:21 of the second half to break the contest open. Amarikwa sank two free throws, while sophomore Kiyana Stamps (Moreno Valley, Calif.) hit a jumper to put the Aztecs up 43-24 with 13:39 left on the clock. SDSU kept the pressure on, forcing six Boise State turnovers during a seven-minute stretch to help put the game out of reach. Then in the waning moments, junior transfer Danesha Long (Long Beach, Calif.) came off the bench and nailed two straight baskets, including a 3-pointer, to give the Aztecs their biggest lead of the night at 62-34 with 2:47 remaining.
Henton paced the Broncos with 11 points, while Miquelle Askew added 10 points and Lexie Der pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. However, SDSU held Boise State's leading scorer Lauren Lenhardt to just five points on 2-for-11 shooting.
The Aztecs will return to the court on Saturday, Feb. 9, when they travel to the Central Valley for a re-match with MW co-leader Fresno State, beginning at 5 p.m. PT. The game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.