Jan. 6, 2016
SAN JOSÉ, Calif. - In a tale of two halves, the San Diego State women's basketball team came up on the short end of a 78-73 decision to San José State on Wednesday in a Mountain West clash at The Event Center.
After exploding for a season-high 48 first-half points on 51.7 percent (19-37) shooting, the Aztecs (6-8, 1-2 Mountain West) were unable to maintain the same intensity in the final two periods, scoring 25 points for the remainder of the game while connecting on just 22.2 percent of their tries from the field (8-36).
Similarly, SDSU drained 7 of 13 three-pointers in the first two quarters, but hit just 1 of 11 shots from beyond the arc after the break, as the Spartans (5-9, 3-0 MW) rallied from a 13-point deficit to win their third straight to open conference play.
Individually, the Aztecs were led by sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.), who totaled 16 points and seven rebounds, while senior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) and sophomore Geena Gomez (Huntington Beach, Calif.) finished with 15 points apiece. Gomez's career-high point total included a personal-best four triples, while fellow classmate Cheyenne Greenhouse (Riverside, Calif.) grabbed a season-high nine rebounds. In addition, SDSU received a six assists and a collegiate-best five steals from junior Ariell Bostick (Oakland, Calif.).
Leading 48-41 at intermission, the Aztecs scored six straight points to open the third quarter, as a Greenhouse layup provided the visitors their biggest cushion of the night at 54-41. However, SJSU uncorked a 9-0 run over a span of five minutes to narrow the gap to 54-50 by the 3:37 mark of the period. SDSU misfired on seven straight field-goal attempts during that stretch, allowing the Spartans to crawl back into contention.
The Aztecs ended the drought with a three-pointer by Gomez, who sank a free throw shortly thereafter to give SDSU a 59-53 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. However, the Aztecs experienced another prolonged slump, missing eight consecutive shots from the floor to open the final frame, as the Spartans fashioned an 11-2 spurt to take the lead for good at 64-61, capped by Emily Vann's demoralizing triple with 5:55 left in the contest.
The Aztecs found themselves in pursuit mode for the rest of the game and trailed 71-65 with 1:48 to go, before narrowing the gap to two after Smith converted a layup and subsequently drained two foul shots. However, Dezz Ramos notched an old-fashioned three-point play on SJSU's next possession to keep the Scarlet and Black at bay. SDSU had one last chance after Fort hit a layup with 43 seconds remaining, which tightened the score to 76-73. The Aztec defense clamped down and forced an errant shot by Nyre Harris, but Riana Byrd grabbed the rebound and promptly tossed in the clinching layup.
Ramos led all scorers with 22 points, while Byrd completed her second double-double of the year with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with 11 rebounds. The Spartans also received double-digit scoring performances from Harris, who notched 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Myzhanique Ladd finished with 10 points of her own. Collectively, SJSU closed with a rush, draining 9 of 13 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter to go with a 6-for-7 clip at the free-throw line.
The Spartans also got off to a quick start in the first quarter, nailing six of their first eight shots from three-point range to help forge a 29-15 advantage by the 1:30 mark of the period. However, Gomez responded with a trey, while Smith added back-to-back layups, including a conversion right before the buzzer to cut the deficit to 31-22.
The Aztecs continued their surge in the second stanza, outscoring the host school by a 26-10 count during the quarter thanks to a 10-for-19 effort from the field, including a 5-for-9 clip from beyond the arc.
San Diego State will have an open date before returning to action on Wednesday, Jan. 13, when it plays host to Colorado State at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. PT.