Feb. 6, 2016
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The San Diego State women's basketball team ended nearly five weeks of frustration on Saturday with a 51-46 victory over New Mexico in Mountain West action at WisePies Arena, aka The Pit.
Sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) and senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) combined for 36 of the team's 51 points on 15-of-25 shooting (60 percent) to help the Aztecs (7-15, 2-9 MW) snap a nine-game losing streak.
Fort drained 9 of 14 field-goal attempts (64.3 percent) en route to a game-high 22 points to go with seven rebounds and five steals, while Harvey notched 14 points, including a pair of clutch triples. With her total, Fort surpassed the 20-point plateau for the seventh time this season.
In addition, the SDSU cause was aided by sophomore Lexy Thorderson (Castle Rock, Colo.), who also came up huge with two three-pointers of her own, while fellow classmate Cheyenne Greenhouse (Riverside, Calif.) contributed five rebounds.
Despite a 40-32 rebounding deficiency, including an 18-6 spread on the offensive glass, the Aztecs had their transition game working, outscoring the Lobos (11-10, 4-6 MW) 23-9 in fast-break points.
The two sides combined for three ties and nine lead changes until the SDSU went ahead to stay 39-38 after junior Kymberly Ellison (Columbus, Ga.) buried a momentum-swaying triple as the horn sounded at the end of the third quarter.
The Aztecs kept dialing from long distance at the outset of the fourth period as Harvey and Thorderson connected from beyond the arc to spark a timely 11-4 run over a span of nearly seven minutes to give the visitors a 50-42 advantage with 3:11 to go in the game. UNM was unable to draw closer than five points the rest of the way as a layup by Bryce Owens with seven seconds left provided the contest its final outcome.
The Lobos shot just 23 percent in the final period (3-13) and 30 percent for the game (18-60), while SDSU connected on 44 percent of its field-goal attempts (20-45) on the afternoon, including a 5-for-11 clip from three-point range.
The Aztecs benefited from two additional runs earlier in the game. Trailing 13-11 at the beginning of the second quarter, SDSU reeled off nine straight points over a three-and-a-half minute stretch to forge a 20-13 lead by the 6:34 mark of the period. Fort punctuated the spurt with consecutive baskets, while Thorderson drilled a triple.
UNM responded with an 8-0 surge of its own, but the Scarlet and Black withstood the challenge after junior Ariell Bostick (Oakland, Calif.) hit senior Deidra Smith (Aurora, Colo.) with a behind-the-back pass for an easy layup with nine seconds remaining in the half to give the Aztecs a slim 22-21 edge heading into the locker room.
SDSU also scored the first eight points of the third quarter, including six straight by Fort, to build its biggest bulge of the game at 30-21 with six minutes to go in the frame. UNM battled back once again, however, unleashing a 17-6 blitz over the ensuing 5:28 to reclaim a 38-36 lead until Ellison's pivotal three-pointer.
The Lobos were paced by Cherise Beynon's 13 points, while Jaisa Nunn added 10 points and nine boards in the loss.
San Diego State returns to the hardwood on Wednesday, Feb. 10, when it plays host to Fresno State in a MW rematch at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. PT. The Bulldogs escaped with a 54-49 win over the Aztecs in the previous meeting between the two teams in Fresno on Jan. 20.