Nov. 16, 2015
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team received double-digit scoring totals from three players, but it wasn't enough as visiting UC Riverside spoiled the Aztecs' 2015-16 home opener Monday night with an 85-68 triumph at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.
Sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) led the SDSU charge with a career-high 25 points, highlighted by a personal-best 11-for-12 effort at the free-throw line, while fellow classmate Cheyenne Greenhouse (Riverside, Calif.) finished with 14 points of her own, followed by senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.), who tossed in 11 points, including a 6-for-6 performance at the charity stripe.
In all, the Aztecs (0-2) sank 27 of 36 free throws (75 percent), matching their highest total from the foul line, since Feb. 4, 2009 vs. UNLV. However, the Scarlet and Black connected on just 18 of 57 field goal attempts (29.4 percent) and were outscored by a 40-24 margin in the paint.
On the flip side, UCR (2-0) shot 50 percent from the floor (31-62) and tallied 32 points off 21 SDSU turnovers while maintaining an 18-5 advantage in bench scoring.
Individually, the Highlanders were paced by Réjane Verin's 22 points, while Annelise Ito contributed 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting and tied teammate Jazzmeen Williams for game-high honors with eight rebounds. Reigning Big West Conference player of the year Brittany Crain also got into the act with 16 points, including a pair of three-pointers, while Simone DeCoud dished out a game-high six assists off the bench.
For the second straight game, SDSU found itself in a deep hole, as UCR jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first two-and-a-half minutes before the host school ended their scoring drought on Harvey's first triple of the evening. The Aztecs tried to keep things close after two Fort free throws narrowed the gap to four points once again at 11-7 with 5:28 remaining in the first quarter. However, the Highlanders broke the contest open with a 12-2 spurt over the next 2:45, capped by a Crain jumper, to give the visitors a commanding 23-9 advantage by the 1:43 mark.
UCR stretched the margin to 22 on two occasions in the second stanza, including a 37-15 spread following a Verin layup with 4:46 left before intermission. SDSU tried to mount a comeback, pulling to within 43-27 on two additional foul shots by Fort, but the Highlanders quickly neutralized the short-lived momentum on a triple by Akilah Martin with just 43 seconds to go.
Despite sinking 15 of 16 free throws in the first half and maintaining a 9-5 edge on the offensive glass, the Aztecs still found themselves trailing at the break 46-27, thanks to a 5-for-29 shooting effort (17.2 percent) and a 23-6 deficit in points off turnovers.
UCR kept firing on all cylinders in the second half, forging its biggest lead of the night at 75-47 on a layup by Michelle Curry with 7:16 to go in the contest. SDSU staged an impressive 20-6 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes to cut the margin in half. Fort sparked the outburst with eight points on two treys and a layup, with the latter trimming the deficit to 81-67 by the 2:47 mark of the fourth quarter.
SDSU had a chance to draw closer; however, two free throws went awry, while Verin scored four quick points on a layup and a jumper to extinguish the Aztecs' faint comeback hopes.
San Diego State returns to action on Thursday, Nov. 19, when it welcomes UC Davis to Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena, starting at 6:30 p.m. PT.