March 7, 2016
LAS VEGAS -
SDSU Tournament Notes vs. Colorado State
NEWS AND NOTES
* The eighth-seeded San Diego State women's basketball team will battle top-seeded and No. 22/23 Colorado State on Tuesday in the quarterfinal round of the 2016 Mountain West Championship, starting at noon PT in Las Vegas, Nev.
* The Aztecs-Rams clash will be broadcast live over the air by ESPN 1700 AM, with SDSU alumnus Chris Ello calling the action courtside from Thomas & Mack Center. A live video stream will also be available courtesy of the MW Network.
* The two sides will be meeting for the third time this year after Colorado State swept the regular-season series. The Rams escaped with a 60-57 decision in San Diego on Jan. 13, before posting a 70-54 triumph in Fort Collins on Feb. 3.
* SDSU has faced Colorado State 51 times in program history, maintaining a 27-24 lead in the all-time series. However, the Rams have won six straight in the series.
* The Aztecs have played Colorado State on just one previous occasion in the Mountain West Championship, dropping a 69-58 decision in 2006.
* The winner of Tuesday's showdown will face the victor of the San José State-New Mexico matchup on Wednesday, starting at 6:30 p.m. PT.
* The Scarlet and Black will be facing a nationally ranked team for the first time since Nov. 23, 2014, when it fell to No. 2/3 South Carolina on the road.
* SDSU is coming off a 62-44 triumph over ninth-seeded Wyoming in the opening round on Monday. Individually, McKynzie Fort led all scorers with 17 points, while Deidra Smith contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. The Aztec cause was also aided by Ariell Bostick, who posted nine points, eight rebounds and five assists with tying Fort for game-high honors with four steals. SDSU shot 45.5 percent from the field overall and pulled away with a 21-5 blitz to close the game.
* With the victory, the Aztecs have now won five straight openers at the MW Championship and are 17-12 all-time in conference tournament lid-lifters.
* San Diego State has won 55 straight and has gone 85-1 since the beginning of the 2011-12 campaign when leading with five minutes left in the game. The Aztecs' lone blemish during that span occurred in a 59-58 heart-breaking loss at Washington on Dec. 5, 2012.
* Prior to the tournament opener on Monday, McKynzie Fort received honorable mention all-Mountain West recognition and earned a spot on the conference's all-defensive team in a vote of the league's head coaches.