Nov. 23, 2015
SEATTLE --The San Diego State women's basketball team played well in stretches on Monday against hot-shooting Washington, but was unable to turn in a complete game, dropping an 80-51 decision to the Huskies at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Aztecs (0-4) cut a 17-point deficit late down to three in the third quarter before Washington scored 13 points in a row to essentially put the contest out of reach.
The Huskies shot 55.4 percent from the field (31-56) and sank 14 of 18 free throws to help keep their unblemished record intact at 4-0 on the season. In addition, UW used its tremendous size advantage to maintain a 48-22 spread on points in the paint and a 32-22 edge in rebounding.
On the flip side, SDSU connected on just 39.6 percent of its attempts from the floor (19-48) and was outscored on the fast break 18-2 in the loss. The Aztecs were also plagued by the turnover bug for the fourth straight game, as the Huskies converted 18 miscues into 24 points, while the visitors scored just nine points off 10 Washington turnovers.
Individually, SDSU was led by sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.), who logged the 22nd double-digit scoring performance of her career with 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go with a team-high three assists. The Aztecs also received a personal-best 11 points from junior Aleiah Brandon (Corona, Calif.), who drained a trio of three-pointers, while sophomore Lexy Thorderson (Castle Rock, Colo.) ended a season-long scoring drought with nine points on three triples of her own.
However, San Diego State was unable to contain the exploits of Husky guard Kelsey Plum, an All-America candidate who finished with a game-high 32 points on 12 of 19 field-goal attempts to go with an 8-for-8 effort at the free-throw line. In addition, the host school benefited from Talia Walton's 19-point performance, while Brianna Ruiz surpassed the double-digit scoring plateau with 12 points.
The Aztecs nursed a slim 5-4 advantage following a Fort layup with three minutes elapsed in the first quarter before the Huskies reeled off six straight points to take the lead for good. Still. SDSU managed to keep things close after an Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) layup narrowed the gap to 12-11 by the 3:16 mark of the opening frame.
The Scarlet and Black quickly went into a funk, misfiring on seven of its next eight shots over the ensuing eight minutes while committing six turnovers. UW capitalized on the Aztecs' offensive woes, uncorking an 18-2 run punctuated by a Ruiz three-pointer to give the hosts a commanding 30-13 lead with nearly six minutes gone by in the second period.
SDSU began its long climb back into contention at this juncture, closing the half with a 10-2 spurt, highlighted by a pair of Brandon treys and another by Thorderson. An old fashioned three-point play by senior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) trimmed the margin to six coming out of the locker room, but a layup by Chantel Osahor restored the Huskies' double-digit lead at 40-30 by the 5:47 mark of the third period.
The Aztecs countered with another 10-3 outburst, fueled by a pair of Thorderson triples and two additional baskets by Fort, which narrowed the gap to 43-40 with 3:37 left in the quarter. However, Washington quickly dashed SDSU's comeback hopes after Walton nailed two back-breaking three-pointers on consecutive possessions to spark a 13-0 blitz. Plum also converted an and-one opportunity during that stretch while the Aztecs committed two costly turnovers. With the clock winding down in the period, a Smith layup finally put an end to the run, but SDSU found itself on the wrong side of a 56-42 score and would never threaten again.
Washington extended its lead in the fourth quarter as Plum recorded 13 points in an eight-minute span, capped by another three-point play, while a layup by Alexus Atchley closed out the scoring. Conversely, the Aztecs tallied just nine points during the frame and were held scoreless over the final 4:03.
San Diego State returns home to face North Dakota State in the inaugural SDSU Thanksgiving Classic on Friday, Nov. 27, beginning at 6:30 p.m. PT. The Aztecs-Bison clash will be preceded by the Delaware-Wisconsin matchup at 4 p.m.