Jan. 19, 2016
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team opens a two-game road swing this week, starting Wednesday when it squares off against Fresno State at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. PT.
SDSU alumnus Chris Ello will handle the play-by-play responsibilities for a live audio stream on GoAztecs.com, while streaming video will also be available online via the Mountain West Network.
Wednesday's matchup features two teams with contrasting levels of success since the start of conference play. SDSU has dropped four straight, including a 75-45 defeat at the hands of Boise State at home in its last outing, while the Bulldogs registered their fifth victory in a row after knocking off San José State by a 59-54 count on the road.
Against the Broncos last Saturday, senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) led the Aztecs with 11 points and three assists, while sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) added 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The Scarlet and Black trailed by just three in the opening minute of the third quarter but quickly fell out of contention, draining just two field goals for the remainder of the contest.
Wednesday's clash will be the 41st varsity edition of the SDSU-Fresno State rivalry, with the Aztecs maintaining a 25-15 advantage in the all-time series. However, the Bulldogs have captured the last three encounters, including a season-sweep in 2015 with a 56-44 triumph in San Diego and a 57-50 decision at Save Mart Center. The Aztecs sport a 9-8 lifetime record in Fresno, posting a 74-49 conquest in 2013, followed by a 70-69 nail-biter in 2014 for their two most recent victories in the Central Valley.
San Diego State and Fresno State were former members of the Western Athletic Conference, meeting on 15 occasions between 1993 and 1998, and were once rivals in the Big West Conference as well, engaging one another nine times from 1987-1990.
The Aztecs have been taking better care of the ball recently, maintaining the league's third-best turnover margin (+1.6). Through 16 games, SDSU has committed the third-fewest miscues in the MW with 235 overall (14.7/gm), trailing only Colorado State (199 - (12.4/gm)) and Wyoming (209 - (13.1/gm)). At this juncture last year, the Aztecs ranked last in the conference with 334 turnovers (20.9/gm) and a minus-5.6 turnover margin.
So far this season, SDSU has been led by the individual exploits of Fort, who ranks fifth in the MW for all games in scoring (14.8 ppg) and occupies the ninth spot in field-goal percentage (.477). In addition, the 5-9 guard finds herself among the league leaders in steals (t-3rd - 2.1/gm) and free-throw percentage (10th - (.644)). Meanwhile, Harvey ranks 10th in conference games with an average of 13.4 points per contest and is listed ninth this week in both three-point field goals made (1.8/gm) and three-point percentage (.391).
After engaging the Bulldogs, San Diego State will travel to Utah State on Saturday, Jan. 23, for a rematch with the Aggies beginning at 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT.