Feb. 9, 2016
SAN DIEGO - After securing a much-needed victory last weekend, the San Diego State women's basketball team looks to keep the momentum rolling on Wednesday when it welcomes Fresno State to Montezuma Mesa for a Mountain West showdown at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena. Opening tip is set for 6:30 p.m. PT.
SDSU alumnus Chris Ello will handle the play-by-play responsibilities of the Aztecs-Bulldogs clash for a live video stream available on GoAztecs.com via the MW Network.
SDSU (7-15, 2-9 MW) is coming off a satisfying 51-46 triumph at New Mexico last Saturday, which put the brakes on a season-long nine-game losing streak. Against the Lobos, sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) and senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) combined for 36 of the team's 51 points, as the Aztecs fashioned a 15-8 run over the final 10:28 to pull away for the win. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (13-8, 9-1 MW) maintained their second-place standing in the conference after rallying for a 57-52 triumph at UNLV on Feb. 6.
Wednesday's encounter will be the 42nd varsity installment of the SDSU-Fresno State rivalry, with the Aztecs owning a 25-16 lead in the all-time series. However, the Bulldogs have captured the last four meetings, including a 54-49 decision in Fresno on Jan. 20. In that contest, SDSU held a slim 49-47 advantage with 1:11 remaining; however, Fresno State closed the game with seven straight points to squelch the Scarlet and Black's upset bid.
The Aztecs sport a 12-6 lifetime record against the Bulldogs in "America's Finest City," but have dropped all three matchups since Fresno State joined the Mountain West in time for the 2012-13 campaign. The last time SDSU defeated the Bulldogs in San Diego occurred on Jan. 30, 1999, when the Aztecs registered an 89-68 victory during their final season as members of the Western Athletic Conference. As WAC rivals the two sides met on 17 occasions from 1993-1999 and were also former adversaries in the Big West Conference, engaging one another nine times from 1987-90.
SDSU has been taking better care of the ball recently, maintaining the MW's second-best turnover margin (+3.3) in conference play. Through 11 league games last season, the Aztecs committed 172 miscues, 23 more than this year's total, and ranked fifth in MW competition in turnover margin (+0.8). Entering the week, SDSU is also fifth in league play in rebounding defense (37.1/gm) and three-pointers made (5.0/gm).
Individually, the Aztecs have been led this year by Fort, who occupies the fifth spot in the MW for all games in scoring (14.5 ppg) and is tied for third in steals (2.2/gm). In addition, the 5-9 guard ranks ninth in field-goal percentage (.469) and is 12th in free-throw accuracy (.683). Harvey, meanwhile, has landed in the fifth position this week with a .390 three-point field-goal percentage in conference play and ranks ninth with an average of 1.5 triples per game (16 overall). She is also averaging 11.1 points per contest in MW action.
In addition, fellow classmate Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) has found her range recently, connecting on 65 percent of her field-goal attempts over the past five games (13-20), while junior Ariell Bostick (Oakland, Calif.) has flashed her all-round game during the same span, averaging 5.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
Following Wednesday's engagement, San Diego State will hit the road once again when its squares off against the Air Force Academy in the lone meeting between the two teams this season on Saturday, Feb. 13. Game time from Clune Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT.