Feb. 24, 2016
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SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) scored a game-high 16 points and tied her personal best with eight rebounds to lead the Aztec women's basketball team to its fifth straight victory on Wednesday with a 53-40 triumph over Wyoming in a Mountain West game at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.
SDSU (11-15, 6-9 MW) overcame a dreary 2-for-13 performance from the field (15.4 percent) in the first quarter, outscoring the Cowgirls by an 18-2 margin in the second period to seize control of the contest.
The Aztecs limited Wyoming (12-14, 5-11 MW) to just 14-for-53 shooting for the night (26.4 percent), including a 1-for-8 clip in the second quarter. On the flip side, the Scarlet and Black connected on 22 of 53 attempts from the floor (41.5 percent), but finished with a 20-for-40 pace over the final three frames.
Despite 18 turnovers, SDSU also maintained a 37-30 rebounding advantage, including a 26-18 spread on the defensive glass to complete the first regular-season sweep of the Cowgirls since 2013.
Harvey scored nine of her points in the pivotal second quarter to help the Aztecs build a 24-14 lead by intermission. The SDSU co-captain also added an another bucket in the opening minute of the third period, while sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) added a jumper moments later to put the host school up 28-14.
Wyoming fashioned a 10-5 spurt over the ensuing five minutes and change to narrow the gap to nine at 33-24, punctuated by Natalie Baker's three-pointer with 4:38 to go in the quarter. However, junior Kymberly Ellison (Columbus, Ga.) responded with the second of her two triples of the game just over a minute later to restore the Aztecs' double-digit advantage at 36-24, and the Cowgirls never threatened again.
SDSU stretched margin to 20 points later in the fourth period after back-to-back layups by Fort and senior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) provided the hosts their largest lead of the evening at 49-29 with 5:12 left in the contest.
In addition to Harvey's total, SDSU received a 10-point, 5-rebound performance from her fellow co-captain Smith, while sophomore Cheyenne Greenhouse (Riverside, Calif.) chipped in eight points and four rebounds. The Aztecs also received a valuable contribution from junior Ariell Bostick (Oakland, Calif.), who dished out five assists for the third game in a row to go with four caroms of her own.
Conversely, Baker was the lone Wyoming player to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points, while Liv Roberts grabbed seven rebounds in the loss. Marquelle Dent also got into the act with nine points, six rebounds and four assists, but was just 3-for-15 from the field.
SDSU will hit the road for its next game on Saturday, Feb. 27, when it travels to the Gem State for a clash with Boise State at Taco Bell Arena. Game time is set for 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT.