Dec. 30, 2014
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team opens its 16th year of Mountain West competition on Wednesday when it travels to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains to battle Air Force in a New Year's Eve matinee beginning at noon MT/11 a.m. PT. A live audio stream will be available on GoAztecs.com, with SDSU alumnus Chris Ello handling play-by-play responsibilities. In addition, the Aztecs-Falcons clash will feature streaming video courtesy of the Mountain West Network.
SDSU (3-8) will be looking to halt a four-game losing streak, its longest since dropping the first four contests of the 2013-14 campaign. The Aztecs are coming off a 64-54 defeat at UC Riverside in their last outing on Dec. 23, while Air Force (1-10) has been idle since Dec. 20, when it fell to Abilene Christian on the road by an 80-44 tally.
Wednesday's encounter will mark the first time in five years that SDSU has opened MW play on the road. The Aztecs last ventured away from "America's Finest City" for a conference lid-lifter in 2010, when it recorded a 61-39 triumph at New Mexico. Overall, SDSU owns 4-5 record in MW openers at home and a 1-5 mark on the road.
The Aztecs have captured nine straight from the Falcons, which represents its longest current winning streak against MW opponents. SDSU holds a 30-6 lead in the all-time series, including a 13-4 ledger at the Academy. Last year, the Scarlet and Black notched its third consecutive win at Clune Arena, rallying from a seven-point deficit in the first half to claim a 77-66 decision. In addition, the Aztecs registered their largest margin of victory of the campaign with a 72-39 conquest at Viejas Arena before completing the season sweep with a 63-56 conquest in the first round of the MW tournament.
SDSU is 19-19 all-time in conference openers, posting a 5-4 mark in the Western Collegiate Conference (1976-85), a 2-3 record in the Big West (1985-90) and a 7-2 mark in the Western Athletic Conference (1990-99).
Entering the week, the Aztecs find themselves among the top half of the Mountain West in three-point field-goal percentage defense (2nd - (.284)), rebounding defense (3rd - (35.9/gm)) and rebounding margin (4th - (+3.1)). Individually, senior Khristina Hunter ranks ninth in both rebounding (6.7/gm) and blocked shots (0.8/gm).
Following Wednesday's matchup with the Falcons, San Diego State will return to the friendly environs of Viejas Arena on Saturday, Jan. 3, when it locks horns with Fresno State. Game time is set for 2 p.m. PT.