Jan. 31, 2015
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LOGAN, Utah - Balanced scoring, timely free-throw shooting and an opportunistic defense were all on display Saturday as the San Diego State women's basketball team pulled away for a 70-59 victory over Utah State in a Mountain West game at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
The Aztecs (7-13, 4-5 MW) had three players finish with double-digit scoring totals, led by junior Erimma Amarikwa (Vacaville, Calif.), who tallied a game-high 17 points, highlighted by a career-best nine free throws. Freshman McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) also got into the act with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting, while senior Khristina Hunter (Fairfield, Calif.) chipped 11 points of her own to help snap SDSU's two-game losing streak.
Despite a 43-38 rebounding deficiency, the Aztecs scored 22 points off 20 Aggie turnovers and sank 20 of 26 free throws, including a 16-for-21 clip in the second half.
After the two teams witnessed six lead changes and four ties to start the game, SDSU went ahead to stay 25-22, following two Fort free throws and a Hunter layup with 2:26 left in the first half. USU (6-15, 3-6 MW) quickly cut the margin to one on a basket by Funda Nakkasoglu, but a clutch three-pointer by sophomore Aleiah Brandon (Corona, Calif.) on the Aztecs' next possession ignited an 8-4 spurt to give the visitors a 33-28 advantage at intermission.
Following the break, SDSU maintained the momentum with a 14-6 surge in a span of 6:35 to open a 13-point bulge at 47-34. Junior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) came up huge during the run, burying her first three-pointer in 11 games, while Amarikwa drained four foul shots. In the interim, the Aggies dug themselves a hole, misfiring on six of eight shots from the floor while committing three turnovers.
However, USU methodically crawled back into contention as two free throws by Julianne Anchling capped a 12-2 outburst that trimmed the Aztec lead to 49-46 with 7:31 remaining.
With the tide turning in the Aggies' favor, SDSU promptly righted the ship as Amarikwa scored six consecutive points to spark a decisive 16-6 blitz over the next five minutes that restored the Aztecs' double-digit advantage at 65-52 by the 2:08 mark. Fort connected on two key baskets during the run, while senior Chairese Culberson (Oakland, Calif.) added a pair of free throws to put the Scarlet and Black in complete control.
USU trimmed the deficit to single digits at 67-59 on a triple by Franny Vaaulu, but only 1:22 remained on the clock. Fort then added a layup and a free throw down the stretch to provide the contest its final outcome.
Jasmine Porter led the Aggies with 13 points off the bench, while Anchling recorded 10 points in the loss. In addition, Vaaulu contributed nine points and a game-high nine rebounds, including eight on the defensive glass.
San Diego State returns to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 4, when it plays host to Nevada, starting at 6 p.m. PT. The Wolf Pack (6-13, 2-6 MW) dropped a 61-45 decision to Wyoming at home on Saturday.