Jan. 5, 2016
SAN DIEGO ââ'¬" The San Diego State women's basketball team looks to get back to into the win column on Wednesday when it travels to the Bay Area for a mid-week clash with San José State, beginning at 7 p.m. PT, in San José, Calif. SDSU alumnus Chris Ello will call the action courtside at The Event Center for a live audio stream on GoAztecs.com, while streaming video will also be available online courtesy of the Mountain West Network.
The Aztecs are coming off a frustrating 55-36 loss to Utah State in their Mountain West home opener last Saturday. Despite 16 points from senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.), SDSU trailed throughout the afternoon and was unable to overcome an ice-cold performance on the floor, connecting on just 12 of 64 field-goal attempts.
The Aztecs and the Spartans will battle one another twice during the regular season after meeting just once in 2015. SDSU posted a 71-61 triumph at home last year, utilizing a 33-9 blitz over a 13-minute span between the first and second half to break open a tight contest. SJSU fashioned a late run, but the Scarlet and Black sank six free throws in the final minute to hold on for the win. San Diego State is 19-4 in the all-time series against the Spartans, including an 8-1 mark in San José.
Senior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) has had the most success of anyone on the Aztec roster against SJSU. In three previous meetings with their northern California rivals, Smith has averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 55.6 percent (20-36) from the field. In SDSU's last visit to The Event Center in 2014, the 6-2 forward collected her first collegiate double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Aztecs to a 77-63 triumph.
Individually, SDSU is led by sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.), who ranks sixth in the Mountain West for all games in scoring (14.7 ppg) and seventh in steals (2.1/gm), while Harvey occupies the sixth position in conference games with an average of 17.5 points per contest and a .522 three-point field-goal percentage (6-11).
The Aztecs and Spartans share the second spot in the MW with a plus-1.7 turnover margin. Through 13 games, SDSU has committed the fourth-fewest turnovers in the conference with 191 miscues, while SJSU leads the league with 241 forced turnovers.
The Aztecs have won their last two games following a loss this season will be looking to win back-to-back encounters on the road for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign.
Following its Silicon Valley excursion, San Diego State will have an open date before returning to action next week for a showdown with Colorado State on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena. Tip time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT.