Feb. 3, 2016
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The San Diego State women's basketball team was unable to keep pace with the hot shooting of Colorado State on Wednesday, falling by a 70-54 count in a Mountain West clash at Moby Arena.
With the loss, the Aztecs experienced their ninth straight defeat, dropping to 6-15 on the season and 1-9 in conference play, while the Rams won their 16th in a row and took over sole possession of first place in the MW, improving to 19-1 overall and 9-0 in league action.
CSU led throughout, save for an 11-11 tie in the first quarter, connecting on 55.6 percent of its field-goal attempts (25-45), including a 50-percent clip (7-14) from three-point range, while SDSU shot just 36.4 percent from the floor (20-55) and was out-rebounded by a 32-24 margin, including a 27-15 spread on the defensive end.
Individually, the Aztecs were paced by junior Ariell Bostick (Oakland, Calif.), who scored a season-high 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds to go with a pair of assists. SDSU's leading scorer, sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.), was limited to single digits for the third time in the last four games, finishing with nine points on the evening, while senior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) and sophomore Lexy Thorderson (Castle Rock, Colo.) contributed eight points apiece.
Conversely, the Rams had three players produce double-digit scoring totals, led by Jamie Patrick's 14-point performance on 6-of-7 shooting, while Alana Arias chipped in 12 points, followed by Keyora Wharry's 10-point effort. In addition, CSU received a boost from Ellen Nystrom, who racked up nine points, seven rebounds and a game-high nine assists.
The Rams forged a 33-22 advantage at halftime thanks in part to a 5-for-9 performance from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes of action. SDSU tried to rally in the third period, trimming the deficit to 38-31 following a three-pointer by junior Kymberly Ellison (Columbus, Ga.) with 6:08 left in the quarter. However, Patrick and Arias made jumpers on CSU's next two possessions to ignite a 20-5 run that gave the host school its largest lead of the night at 58-36 by the 7:36 mark of the fourth period.
The Aztecs narrowed the gap to 16 points on two occasions, including a 68-52 margin after senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) converted an old-fashioned three-point play. However, the deficit proved too much to overcome as only 1:52 remained on the clock.
SDSU posted its best free-throw percentage of the season (.889), sinking 8 of 9 shots from the foul line, but the Rams knocked down 13 of 16 attempts from the charity stripe and outscored the Aztecs 22-14 in the paint to help maintain the upper hand.
SDSU kept things close in the early going, pulling to within 16-14 on a triple by sophomore Geena Gomez (Huntington Beach, Calif.) with 9:11 left in the second quarter. However, CSU closed the half with a timely 17-8 run, highlighted by Nystrom's 5-for-6 showing at the charity stripe and a three-pointer by Elin Gustavsson.
San Diego State will wrap up its road swing on Saturday, Feb. 6, when it locks horns with New Mexico at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. Game time is set for 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT. The Lobos (11-9, 4-5 MW) came up on the short end of a 57-48 decision at UNLV on Wednesday.