Nov. 27, 2014
Final Stats | Final Ststs in PDF Format
GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico - The San Diego State women's basketball team put the brakes on its three-game losing streak with a 68-53 victory over Idaho State Thursday in the opener of the 2014 San Juan Shootout at Mario Morales Coliseum. The Aztecs finished strong with a 24-9 run over the final 7:42 to help raise their record to 2-3 on the season, while the Bengals slip to 1-3 overall.
Individually, SDSU was led by junior Erimma Amarikwa (Vacaville, Calif.), who scored 11 of her 15 points in the second half to go with a game-high nine rebounds, while fellow classmate Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) tallied 14 points of her own, including a 2-for-3 effort from beyond the arc. In addition, freshman McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) reached double-figures with 11 points, while junior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) advanced the Aztec cause with nine points and four rebounds.
As a team, SDSU shot 46.7 percent from the floor (21-45), while ISU connected on 35.7 percent of its field-goal attempts (20-56), including a 17 percent clip (4-23) from three-point range. However, the Aztecs wreaked the most havoc at the charity stripe, draining 23 of 33 free throws (70 percent), including a pivotal 16-for-23 performance in the second half, while the Bengals sank just 9 of their 19 foul shots (47.4 percent).
Despite committing two more turnovers (20-18) on the afternoon, SDSU outscored ISU 23-14 off those miscues and maintained a 42-33 rebounding advantage, including a 26-16 spread on the defensive glass, to help fuel its win.
The Aztecs seemed poised to seize control of the game after a backcourt steal by sophomore Chloe Johnson (Phoenix, Ariz.), who made a highlight-worthy pass from a prone position over her head to a wide-open Fort, who drove in for an easy layup to give the Scarlet and Black a 23-15 cushion with 5:45 left in the first half.
However, the Bengals fought themselves of the ropes with a 17-7 spurt down the stretch, capped by Jasmine Lemon's buzzer-beating jumper, to take a 32-30 lead into the locker room. Following the break, Lemon added two free throws early in the second half to extend the ISU advantage before Hunter responded with two foul shots of her own on the heels of a Harvey jumper to knot the score at 34-34.
SDSU fashioned a pair of four-point leads over the next seven-plus minutes, including a 44-40 spread after a Hunter layup at the 10:11 mark. But the Aztecs were unable to build on their good fortune, committing three quick turnovers, while the Bengals notched a trio of free throws followed by an Anna Lee Policicchio bucket to reclaim the upper hand at 45-44 with 7:42 remaining.
What would be ISU's last lead of the game proved to be extremely short-lived, however, as Amarikwa scored five straight points to put SDSU in front to stay 49-45 with 6:48 to go. In the interim, the Bengals missed their next seven shots, while freshman Cheyenne Greenhouse (Riverside, Calif.) and Fort each sank a free throw. A layup by the Bengals' Rebecca Schrimpsher cut the margin to four, but consecutive baskets by Amarikwa and Harvey, followed by two additional Fort foul shots extended the lead to 57-47 with just 2:08 left in the contest.
After a pair of quick hoops by Apiphany Woods gave ISU a glimmer of hope, the Aztecs drained nine free throws and received a final Fort layup down the stretch to seal the victory.
Woods led all scorers with 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while Policicchio finished with 11 points and five rebounds in the loss.
San Diego State will have a day off before closing out the San Juan Shootout with a clash against Big Ten foe Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 29, starting at 1 p.m. AT/9 a.m. PT.