Jan. 30, 2014
SAN DIEGO - Winners of two straight and four of its last five, the San Diego State women's basketball team hits the road Saturday to battle first-place Colorado State in a key Mountain West clash in Fort Collins, Colo. Opening tip is slated for 2 p.m. MT (1 p.m. PT), and a live video stream via the Mountain West Network will be available on www.goaztecs.com.
The Aztecs (7-10, 4-3 MW) are coming off a convincing 88-72 victory over Utah State on Jan. 25 to cap a 2-0 homestand, while the Rams (15-4, 7-1 MW) have won four in a row and 11 of their last 12, including a 71-64 triumph over Nevada at home on Wednesday.
Against the Aggies, sophomore Deajanae Scurry scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, to go with a game-best nine rebounds, while freshman Ariell Bostick notched a personal-best 18 points and a game-high six assists. Not to be outdone, senior Cierra Warren punctuated a spectacular homestand, finishing with 20 points and seven rebounds en route to collecting her second MW Player of the Week award this season.
Warren, who averaged 25.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in two games last week, is ranked second in the MW overall in field-goal percentage (.557), fifth in scoring (14.9 ppg) and 10th in rebounding 6.4/gm). The Aztec center owns two of the top single-game performances in the league this season (14 FGs at Sacramento State and 9-of-10 FGs at UCSB) and has eclipsed the 20 point-barrier on six occasions this year.
As a team, SDSU tops the MW with a .430 field-goal percentage overall and ranks first in rebounding defense (34.6/gm) and rebounding margin (+5.2).
Elsewhere, the Aztecs rank among the conference leaders for all games in field-goal percentage defense (4th - (.399)). offensive rebounding (5th - 14.9/gm), steals (5th - 8.1/gm).
SDSU will be looking to avenge a narrow 64-61 defeat to CSU in its conference opener on Jan. 2 at Viejas Arena. The Aztecs held a slim 54-52 advantage with 6:26 remaining, but missed on five straight field-goal attempts over a span of four-plus minutes, while the Rams sank five of six free throws to vault in front for good.
Despite the setback, San Diego State still maintains a 27-19 lead in the all-time series. The Aztecs have emerged victorious on four of their last six visits to Fort Collins, including a 48-44 decision a year ago.
Following Saturday's tilt, SDSU returns to Viejas Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 5, to lock horns with Boise State, beginning at 6 p.m. PT.