Feb. 10, 2016
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State women's basketball team flashed its resiliency once again on Wednesday, overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit to post a thrilling 65-54 victory over Fresno State in double overtime at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.
Bolstered by sophomore McKynzie Fort's (Fontana, Calif.) first career double-double, the Aztecs (8-15, 3-9 Mountain West) won their second in a row and snapped a four-game losing streak to the Bulldogs (13-9, 9-2 MW), who lost for just the second time in conference play this year.
Fort finished with a game-high 22 points and grabbed a personal-best 11 rebounds to go with five assists and two blocks, while senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) added 12 points, including the go-ahead basket in the double overtime session.
In addition, sophomore Lexy Thorderson (Castle Rock, Colo.) reached double figures with 12 points of her own, highlighted by a pair of clutch triples, while senior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) came up huge on the boards, matching her career high with 12 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive end.
Despite the presence of Fresno State's 6-3 center Bego Faz Davalos, the nation's No. 2 shot-blocker who totaled seven rejections on the evening, the Aztecs still maintained a 48-40 rebounding advantage and a 22-20 margin on points in the paint.
Neither team shot the particularly well as SDSU connected on 21 of 65 field-goal attempts (32.3 percent), while the Bulldogs finished with a 20-for-63 clip (31.7 percent) for the contest. The two sides also combined for 45 turnovers, epitomizing a ragged night on both ends of the court.
However, the game was ultimately won at the free-throw line, with the Aztecs sinking 18 of 27 foul shots overall (66.7 percent), including a collective 12-for-14 performance in the second overtime session. Fort tallied six of her eight points in that period from the charity stripe alone, as SDSU outscored Fresno State 19-8 in the final five minutes to pull away for the win.
The Aztecs found themselves trailing 21-14 at intermission, before the contest evolved into a gritty see-saw affair, with the two teams combining for eight ties and five lead changes the rest of the way. After a sluggish 3:41 stretch at the outset of the third quarter in which SDSU missed two field goals, two free throws and committed three turnovers, the Scarlet and Black quickly climbed back into contention following consecutive three-pointers by junior Aleiah Brandon (Corona, Calif.), Thorderson and junior Kymberly Ellison (Columbus, Ga.), which provided the host school its first lead of the game at 23-21 by the 4:27 mark of the period.
The Bulldogs answered with a triple by Breanne Knishka, but the Aztecs hit five free throws, including three by Fort, to help forge a slim 28-27 advantage by the end of the quarter. Fresno State was just 2 for 10 from the field in the frame, but SDSU wasn't much better, converting just 3 of 10 shots of its own from the floor.
The Aztecs led by as many as five points late in the fourth quarter after Harvey calmly drained a triple with 3:36 left in regulation to widen the gap to 40-35. However, Faz Davalos scored all of the Bulldogs' points during a 9-2 run by the visitors for the remainder of the period. SDSU had a chance to win with two seconds on the clock, but junior Ariell Bostick's (Oakland, Calif.) jumper was off-target.
After the teams combined for just two baskets in the first overtime, the Aztecs vaulted in front for good on a Harvey layup following Fort's huge offensive rebound with 27 seconds elapsed in the second extra period. Once again, the Bulldogs mustered just a 2-for-10 effort from the field and committed three turnovers in the frame, allowing SDSU to gradually seize control.
Still, the Aztecs were clinging to a precarious 50-49 lead at the 3:48 mark before Fort drilled a jumper and Thorderson soon followed with a crucial three-pointer to finally give SDSU some separation.
Fresno State was led by Faz Davalos' 11th double-double of the year (13 pts, 16 rebounds), while Alex Furr finished with 11 points in the loss.
San Diego State will jump back into action on Saturday, Feb. 13, when it travels to the Air Force Academy for the lone meeting between the two squads during the regular season. Game time at Clune Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT.