Jan. 2, 2016
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State women's basketball team saw its three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, falling to Utah State by a 55-36 count in its Mountain West home opener at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena. With the loss, the Aztecs slip to 6-7 on the year and 1-1 in conference play, while the Aggies move to an identical 6-7 overall record and 1-1 mark in the MW.
Just three days after an uplifting 84-77 road victory at Wyoming, SDSU scored 48 fewer points against USU, connecting on just 18.8 percent (12-64) of its shots from the field, including a 16-percent clip (4-25) from three-point range. In addition, the Aztecs were repeatedly frustrated by the Aggies' zone defense the entire afternoon, collecting just eight points in the paint and getting outrebounded on the defensive glass by a 38-18 margin.
SDSU was plagued by cold-shooting from the outset, misfiring on 11 of its first 12 attempts from the floor as the visitors raced to a 14-3 lead by the 3:47 mark of the first quarter. USU upped its advantage to 30-16 at halftime, with the Aztecs sinking more free throws (7) than field goals (4) in the first 20 minutes of action.
SDSU tried to make a game of it in the opening moments of the third quarter after senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) and fellow classmate Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) made consecutive baskets to pull the host school to within 30-20.
The Aztecs had a chance to trim the deficit to single digits after forcing a turnover on the Aggies' next possession. However, Harvey's three-point attempt was off the mark, while USU's Julianne Anchling quickly converted a layup after an offensive rebound to spark a 16-1 run. Over the ensuing seven-and-a-half minutes, the Aztecs managed just one free throw as the Aggies built an insurmountable 46-21 advantage by the 8:28 mark of the fourth period.
USU guard Funda Nakkasoglu led all scorers with 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go along with five assists, while Brewster added eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
As a team, the Aggies maintained a 45-37 advantage in rebounding and blocked seven shots, including six by Tijana Djukic, to help key their win.
On the other hand, SDSU was paced by Harvey, who tossed in 16 points, highlighted by a career-high four triples, while Smith contributed six points and six rebounds in the loss. Despite dishing out three assists, the Aztecs' leading scorer, sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.), was limited to just four points on the day.
San Diego State will look to regroup on Wednesday, Jan. 6, when it heads north to the Bay Area to face San José State, beginning at 7 p.m. PT. The Spartans (4-9, 2-0 MW) were 81-60 winners at home against Air Force on Saturday.