Nov. 29, 2015
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SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State women's basketball team picked up its second consecutive win on Sunday with a thrilling 63-57 overtime victory over Wisconsin in the SDSU Thanksgiving Classic at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena. The Aztecs (2-4) overcame an extended offensive drought, misfiring on 21 of 22 field goals during one stretch, before engineering a furious second-half rally to eventually force the extra session.
Mired in the aforementioned shooting slump, SDSU found itself on the wrong side of a 32-21 score with three minutes elapsed in the third quarter before uncorking a timely 23-7 blitz to grab a 44-39 advantage by the 7:30 mark of the fourth period. Sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) scored seven of her team-high 16 points during the run, while the Aztecs connected on 9 of 13 field goals as a team. In addition, SDSU benefited from six Badger turnovers in that span as the visitors shot just 4 of 14 from the floor.
Still, the Aztecs were unable to put Wisconsin (2-3) in their rear-view mirror after the Badgers scored five straight points on a Roichelle Marble layup and a Nicole Bauman triple to tie the score at 46-46 with 5:06 left in the fourth period. After an exchange of baskets, a three-pointer by sophomore Geena Gomez (Huntington Beach, Calif.) gave the Aztecs a slim 49-46 advantage, but Bauman quickly answered with another trey to knot things up once again at 49-49 with 2:40 remaining.
Moments later, a jumper by Tessa Cichy put Wisconsin back on top 51-49 with 49 seconds to go in regulation before SDSU received some last-second heroics by junior Ariell Bostick (Oakland, Calif.) to save the day. With 15 seconds left, Fort's layup attempt was off-target. However, Bostick kept the ball alive with a key offensive rebound then drove the lane and rolled in a shot to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Fort converted an old-fashioned three-point play on the Aztecs' first possession before Cichy tied the score at 54-54 on a deep three. However, senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) scored the next four points on a layup and two free throws, while Fort soon followed with a jumper to give the Scarlet and Black a six-point bulge at 60-54 with 43 remaining in the game. Bauman nailed another three-pointer to narrow the gap to 60-57 on the Badgers' next trip up the court, but Bostick drained three free throws in the closing seconds to ice the win.
SDSU shot 53 percent from the field after intermission (16-30) and maintained a 26-18 advantage in the paint despite getting out-rebounded by a 45-30 margin, including a 21-11 spread on the offensive glass. Strangely however, Wisconsin did not attempt a single free throw the entire afternoon, while the Aztecs drained 12 of 18 foul shots to help key their win.
In addition to Fort's performance which included a game-high four steals, SDSU received a season-high 11 points from Bostick, while junior Aleiah Brandon (Corona, Calif.) reached double-figures with 10 points, highlighted by a pair of treys.
On the flip side, the Badgers were led by Bauman, who led all scorers with 24 points on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc to go with six assists, while Roichelle Marble added 13 points off the bench in the loss.
SDSU jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the early going, but Marble drained two triple during an 11-1 spurt that gave Wisconsin a 16-13 edge by the end of the first quarter. The Aztecs mustered just three points in the second frame as the Badgers built a 26-19 cushion by halftime.
San Diego State returns to the hardwood on Thursday, Dec. 3, when it plays host to San Diego in the annual city showdown, beginning at 6:30 p.m. PT.