Nov. 19, 2015
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SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team suffered its third straight defeat to open the season on Thursday after falling to UC Davis by a 65-54 count at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena. The Aggies maintained the upper hand throughout the evening, employing timely runs and a strong defensive effort to keep the Aztecs at bay.
SDSU (0-3) was unable to subdue the UC Davis front line of Pele Gianotti, Morgan Bertsch and Alyson Doherty, who combined for 44 of the visitors' 65 points on a collective 19-for-30 shooting effort (63.3 percent). Gianotti did the most damage, scoring a game-high 19 points, highlighted by a 5-for-8 performance from three-point range, while Bertsch finished with 14 points of her own, followed by Doherty (11 points), who completed a double-double with 10 rebounds to go with four blocks.
The Aztecs were also plagued by another cold night of shooting, connecting on just 21 of 63 field goal attempts (33.3 percent), including a 4-for-23 clip (17.4 percent) from beyond the arc. In addition, the Scarlet and Black sank just 8 of 15 free throws, compared to the Aggies' 10-for-12 effort at the foul line.
Despite maintaining an 18-10 advantage on the offensive glass, SDSU was outrebounded on the defensive end by a 27-19 margin and mustered only four points off 14 UC Davis turnovers. Conversely, the Aggies seemingly capitalized on every Aztec blunder, scoring 19 points off 13 miscues, including 11 in the first half.
UC Davis (1-2) seized the momentum early in the first quarter, converting six of their first eight shots to forge a 14-5 lead with 5:18 remaining in the opening frame. SDSU countered with seven straight points, including a pair of jumpers by senior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.), but the Aggies quickly responded with a triple by Gianotti and a Bertsch layup to ignite an 11-2 run that gave the visitors a commanding 25-14 advantage by the 6:50 mark of the second quarter.
A long jumper by Aztec junior Aleiah Brandon (Corona, Calif.) trimmed the deficit to 31-22 with 1:12 to go in the half before two Aggie turnovers gave the host school added chances to draw closer. However, two Smith free throws went awry, while a last-second attempt from the baseline by sophomore Cheyenne Greenhouse (Riverside, Calif.) was off-target.
Following the break, SDSU clawed its way back into contention after receiving a spark off the bench from sophomore Geena Gomez (Huntington Beach, Calif.), who made her Scarlet and Black debut on Thursday. The St. Joseph's (Pa.) transfer scored seven of her team-high 13 points during a 10-5 surge over a two-minute stretch in the waning moments of the third quarter that narrowed the gap to 44-40. However, UC Davis drained clutch shots time and again to quash the Aztecs' comeback hopes.
SDSU managed to cut the margin to three at 49-46 on Gomez's second triple of the contest with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter, but could pull no closer. The Aggies answered with a 9-0 run over the next 3:07, punctuated by consecutive Bertsch baskets to restore its double-digit lead at 58-46 and the Aztecs never threatened again.
Sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) tallied an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:34 remaining on the clock to tighten the score at 60-51, but the conversion came too little too late as UC Davis hit four free throws in the final minutes to put the game out of reach.
Fort finished with nine points and contributed four assists and two steals, while junior Ariell Bostick (Oakland, Calif.) recorded nine points as well, followed by Smith and Brandon, who notched six points apiece.
San Diego State returns to the hardwood on Monday, Nov. 23, when it travels to the Pacific Northwest for a tilt with Pac-12 foe Washington, starting at 7 p.m. PT.