Nov. 23, 2013
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SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team dropped its fourth straight game on Saturday with an 88-54 defeat at the hands of No. 19/14 South Carolina at Viejas Arena.
Junior Erimma Amarikwa (Vacaville, Calif.) led the Aztecs (0-4) with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go with five rebounds, while fellow classmate Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) chipped in 10 points and three assists, but it wasn't enough as the Gamecocks (6-0) had four players record double-digit scoring totals, including Alaina Coates' game-high 21 points, to help remain unbeaten on the year.
SDSU was once again beset by a rash of turnovers as South Carolina scored 33 points off 25 miscues and maintained a 12-2 advantage in fast-break opportunities. In addition, the Gamecocks attempted over twice as many free throws as the Aztecs, connecting on 21-of-31 shots from the charity stripe, compared to an 8-for-15 clip by the host school.
Still, SDSU hung tough for the first 23 minutes of the game. After Asia Dozier's jumper put South Carolina up 43-28 with 58 seconds to go before intermission, the Aztecs fashioned a 10-1 spurt through the halftime break, pulling to within 44-38 following a Harvey basket with 16:56 left in the second half.
That would be as close as SDSU would get, however, as the Gamecocks seized control of the game over the next 10 minutes, with two Coates free throws punctuating a 24-6 run that put South Carolina comfortably in front 68-46. Tiffany Mitchell scored 10 of her 17 points during that stretch, while the Aztecs sank just two of eight field goals and committed four turnovers.
Mitchell narrowly missed out on a double-double after posting a game-best nine assists, while Dozier contributed 16 points, including a 4-for-10 effort from three-point range. Khadijah Sessions also aided the victors with 12 points of her own and tied for game-high honors with four steals.
Conversely, the Aztecs received a career-best four assists and four steals from sophomore Deajanae Scurry (Los Angeles, Calif.), who also finished with six points and seven rebounds, while fellow classmate Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) contributed six points and four rebounds. SDSU's leading scorer, senior center Cierra Warren (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), was plagued by foul trouble and totaled just five points and five rebounds in 20 minutes.
The Aztecs return to the court on Saturday, Nov. 30, when they travel to UC Santa Barbara for an afternoon tilt at The Thunderdome, beginning at 2 p.m. PT.