Jan. 30, 2016
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SAN DIEGO -- For the fifth game in a row, the San Diego State women's basketball team faltered down the stretch after connecting on just 3 of 18 shots in the fourth quarter during a 55-41 loss to UNLV in a Mountain West showdown on Saturday at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.
With the setback, the Aztecs suffered their eighth straight defeat, slipping to 6-14 overall and 1-8 in conference play, while the Lady Rebels snapped a nine-game skid to SDSU in San Diego, improving to 12-8 on the year and 5-4 in the MW.
Rebounds were the story of the game, with UNLV maintaining a hefty 48-21 advantage on the boards, including a massive 20-5 spread on the offensive end. Consequently, the Lady Rebels outscored the Aztecs 24-12 in the paint and 17-7 on second-chance points. In addition, UNLV sank 18 of 21 free throws, while the Scarlet and Black went to the stripe just seven times, converting six shots.
Neither side put on a shooting clinic, with the Aztecs nailing just 15 of 50 tries from the floor (30.0 percent), compared to the Lady Rebels' 17-for-53 performance (32.1). However, UNLV came up big when it mattered the most, draining 6 of 13 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter to key a decisive 22-8 closing run.
The two teams were tied at 33-33 after senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) nailed a jumper from the right baseline with 12 seconds to go in the third quarter. However, the Lady Rebels seized control of the game by scoring the first 11 points of the final period. Dylan Gonzalez capped the run with a three-pointer to give the visitors a commanding 44-33 lead with 6:13 left in the contest.
SDSU responded with a banked three-ball by junior Ariell Bostick (Oakland, Calif.), but was unable to draw closer than eight points the rest of the way. The Lady Rebels kept the ball away from the host school, collecting six offensive rebounds in the final four minutes, while Dakota Gonzalez sank six late free throws to secure the win.
Harvey led the Aztecs with 10 points and four rebounds, while fellow classmate Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) finished with nine points and four boards of her own. SDSU's leading scorer, sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.), was limited to just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting for the afternoon.
On the flip side, Dakota Gonzalez paced UNLV with 16 points, including an 8-for-8 effort at the free-throw line, while Brooke Johnson (12 points) and Aley Rohde (10 points) recorded double figures as well. Rohde completed her fifth double-double of the year with 11 rebounds, tying Amie Callaway for game-high honors.
The first half witnessed four ties and four lead changes, with SDSU forging its largest advantage of the game at 14-11 following a triple by sophomore Geena Gomez (Huntington Beach, Calif.) with 6:52 left in the second period. However, the Lady Rebels responded with a 9-4 spurt to close the quarter, punctuated by two Rohde free throws with 1.5 seconds on the clock, to take a slim 20-18 lead into the locker room.
UNLV tallied the first seven points after the break before the Aztecs answered with a 15-6 surge over the final seven minutes of the third quarter, eventually tying the game at 33-33. Fort scored seven straight points for SDSU during the run, while junior Kymberly Ellison (Columbus, Ga.) drilled a three-pointer.
San Diego State will hit the road next week for a pair of conference games at Colorado State (Feb. 3) and New Mexico (Feb. 6).