Dec. 6, 2015
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team opens a two-game road swing on Monday when heads north to the San Fernando Valley to battle CSUN, starting at 7 p.m. PT in Northridge, Calif. SDSU alumnus Chris Ello will handle the play-by-play responsibilities courtside at the Matadome for a live audio stream on GoAztecs.com, while streaming video via Big West TV will also be available online.
The Aztecs (2-5) are coming off a tough 60-53 setback to unbeaten San Diego in the annual city showdown last Thursday. SDSU trailed by as many as 11 points late in the third quarter before uncorking a 13-2 run to tie the score at 44-44 with just under five minutes remaining in the game. However, the Aztecs were unable to gain the upper hand as the Toreros responded with consecutive three-pointers and later sank six free throws in the final 40 seconds to thwart the Scarlet and Black's upset bid. Individually, SDSU was led by junior Kymberly Ellison (Columbus, Ga.) and sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.), who finished with 14 points apiece.
Conversely, CSUN (1-7) returns home after suffering a pair of road defeats to Southern Utah (67-65) and Utah (97-56) last week. In their narrow loss to SUU, the Matadors rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to take the lead, but the Thunderbirds hit five foul shots in the final 1:49 to eke out the win.
Despite the relative proximity of both schools, San Diego State will be engaging CSUN for just the 12th time in program history. The Aztecs hold an 8-3 lead in the series; however, the Matadors have captured the last two meetings, including a 65-54 triumph in San Diego a year ago. SDSU is 2-2 in four previous trips to Northridge, but has not set foot in the Matadome since dropping a 71-52 decision on Dec. 6, 2003. Prior to that defeat, the Aztecs last visited the Valley in 1983, when they emerged with a 95-65 conquest.
Monday's matchup will be SDSU's fourth of five scheduled encounters with Big West opponents this season. The Aztecs came up short against three Big West foes to open the 2015-16 campaign, falling at Long Beach State (74-54), before experiencing a pair of home defeats to UC Riverside (85-68) and UC Davis (65-54). The Scarlet and Black will also play host to Cal State Fullerton in its penultimate non-conference tilt on Dec. 19.
Entering the week, SDSU finds itself among the top half of the Mountain West in rebounding defense (2nd - 35.7/gm), field-goal percentage (5th - (.388)) and three-point percentage (5th - (.286)). Individually, Fort ranks fourth in the conference in both scoring (15.4 ppg) and steals (2.9/gm) while occupying the 10th position in free-throw percentage (.667). In addition, senior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) shares the seventh spot in blocked shots (1.1/gm), while junior Aleiah Brandon (Corona, Calif.) is tied for ninth in three-point percentage (7-19, .368).
Following Monday's battle, San Diego State will return to Los Angeles on Thursday, Dec. 10, when it faces Loyola Marymount, beginning at noon PT.