Jan. 17, 2015
Final Stats | Final Stats in PDF Format
LAS VEGAS - The San Diego State women's basketball team saw its rally come up short in a 64-47 loss to UNLV on Saturday in a Mountain West game at Cox Pavilion. Trailing by 20 in the first half, the Aztecs (5-11, 2-3 MW) pulled to within three early in the second period, but a cold shooting performance ultimately proved costly.
SDSU connected on just 25 percent (6-24) of its field-goal attempts after intermission, finishing the game with a 29 percent clip (17-58) overall. On the flip side, the Lady Rebels shot 40 percent (24-60) on the day, including a 50 percent pace (14-28) in the first half. In addition, UNLV (6-10, 3-2 MW) maintained 36-22 advantage in the paint and a 44-39 edge in rebounding to help keep the visitors at bay.
Individually, junior Erimma Amarikwa (Vacaville, Calif.) was the lone Aztec in double figures, totaling 15 points, while sophomore Ariell Bostick (Oakland, Calif.) and freshman Cheyenne Greenhouse (Riverside, Calif.) contributed seven points apiece.
SDSU tallied the first four points of the game on a pair of foul shots by junior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) and a jumper by sophomore Chloe Johnson (Phoenix, Ariz.). However, the Aztecs soon fell victim to a 27-3 blitz by the Lady Rebels over the next nine-and-a-half minutes, missing 11 of 12 shots from the floor while committing four turnovers. SDSU's lone points during the span was supplied by Greenhouse, who converted an and-one opportunity. Conversely, UNLV received a pair of three-pointers from Danielle Miller during the run, while Briana Charles scored six points of her own, including a layup that put the host school in front 27-7 with 8:37 remaining in the half.
Incredibly, the Aztecs picked themselves off the mat, outscoring the Lady Rebels 21-6 down the stretch, including a buzzer-beating jumper from the right wing by freshman McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) that trimmed the deficit to 33-28 at intermission. A total of seven SDSU players scored during the run, featuring back-to-back tip-ins by Smith and senior Khristina Hunter (Fairfield, Calif.) and a basket by freshman Lexy Thorderson (Castle Rock, Colo.).
Following an exchange of turnovers in the opening two minutes of the second half, the Aztecs cut the margin to three on an inside bucket by Amarikwa and had a chance to draw closer after Miller misfired on the opposite end. However, Bostick's driving layup on SDSU's next possession rattled out, foreshadowing the offensive woes that would plague the Scarlet and Black for the rest of the game.
The Lady Rebels quickly capitalized on the Aztecs' misfortune as an old fashioned three-point play by Alana Cesarz highlighted a 12-4 spurt that put the hosts up 45-34 by the 11:38 mark of the second half. SDSU missed five shots during that stretch, including four layups, and could not recover.
The Aztecs cut the margin to single digits on three occasions, including a 53-44 spread after Amarikwa's and-one conversion with 5:49 to go. However, UNLV responded with a 9-1 run, capped by Miller's layup with 1:45 left, to put the game out of reach.
Miller led all scorers with 17 points, while Cesarz complete a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Amie Callaway also got into the act for the Lady Rebels with 11 boards of her own, while Nikki Wheatley dished out a game-high four assists.
San Diego State returns to the court on Wednesday, Jan. 21, when it plays host to Air Force at Viejas Arena, starting a 6 p.m. PT.