Feb. 11, 2015
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LARAMIE, Wyo. - The visiting San Diego State women's basketball team saw its modest three-game winning streak come to a halt on Wednesday after dropping a tough 74-66 decision to Wyoming in a Mountain West clash at Arena Auditorium.
Despite a career-high 17 points from freshman McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.), the Aztecs were unable to corral the Cowgirls, who drained nine 3-point baskets on the evening and maintained a 17-11 advantage on points off turnovers.
With the result, SDSU (9-14) and Wyoming (11-11) now find themselves in a tie for sixth place in the conference standings with identical 6-6 records.
In addition to Fort's total, the Aztecs received 13 points and six rebounds from junior Erimma Amarikwa (Vacaville, Calif.), the reigning MW Player of the Week, while sophomore Aleiah Brandon (Corona, Calif.) established a career-high with eight points off the bench, highlighted by a 2-for-2 effort from beyond the arc.
However, SDSU was undone by the three-pronged attack of Kaitlyn Mileto, Marquelle Dent and Jordan Kelley, who combined for 62 of the Cowgirls' 74 points.
Mileto led all scorers with 27 points, featuring an incredible 7-for-14 performance on 3-pointers, while Dent finished with 21 points and added game-highs of six steals and five assists. Not to be outdone, Kelley chipped in a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive glass.
Still, the Aztecs remained in contention, thanks to some clutch shooting from its bench, which outscored the Wyoming reserves 23-5. In addition to Brandon's aforementioned effort, junior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) tallied six points and three rebounds, while senior Chairese Culberson (Oakland, Calif.), sophomore Ariell Bostick (Oakland, Calif.) and freshman Lexy Thorderson (Castle Rock, Colo.) each contributed a triple.
The Cowgirls led throughout the first half, save for two ties, building their biggest advantage of the first half at 25-17 with 5:15 remaining. However, SDSU closed the period with a 12-5 spurt, capped by junior Ahjalee Harvey's (Mountain View, Calif.) 3-point bank shot that found the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounded, which brought the visitors to within one, 30-29, at intermission.
Following the break, the contest evolved into a see-saw affair, with the two sides combining for five ties and six lead changes. After a layup by Wyoming's Kaylie Rader, consecutive jumpers by Smith sophomore Chloe Johnson (Phoenix, Ariz.) put the Aztecs up for the last time in the game, 53-51, at the 8:07 mark before the roof caved in.
A layup and two free throws by Dent, followed by a Mileto 3-pointer, ignited a 14-2 run over the next four minutes to give the Cowgirls a seemingly comfortable 67-55 advantage with 4:06 to go. SDSU attempted to make a game of it when Fort converted an and-one opportunity, while Culberson soon buried a triple, which trimmed the deficit to five at 68-63 with 1:52 remaining. The Aztecs had two chances to cut the margin further over the ensuing minute, but two turnovers proved costly. Wyoming promptly put the game out of reach with six free throws in the final 52 seconds to seal the win.
San Diego State will remain in the Mountain time zone for its next encounter when it travels down to Fort Collins, Colo., to lock horns with Colorado State on Saturday, Feb. 14, starting at 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT. The Rams (17-6, 9-3 MW) suffered a 67-40 setback at New Mexico on Wednesday.