Jan. 22, 2016
=""> Game Notes vs. Utah State
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's basketball team wraps up its two-game road swing on Saturday when it travels to the northern edge of the Wasatch Range for a rematch with Utah State at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah. Opening tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT/1 p.m. PT.
SDSU alumnus Chris Ello will call the action courtside for a live audio stream on GoAztecs.com, while streaming video will also be available online via the Mountain West Network.
The Aztecs-Aggies clash will feature two teams looking to put the brakes on their respective losing streaks. SDSU (6-11, 1-5 MW) has dropped five straight after experiencing a tough 54-49 defeat at the hands of Fresno State on Wednesday, while USU (8-10, 3-4 MW) came up short by a 46-38 count at UNLV for its second loss in a row.
Against the Bulldogs, the Aztecs nursed a late 49-47 lead, but were held scoreless over the final 2:10 as Fresno State tallied the final seven points of the contest to escape with the win. Senior Ahjalee Harvey (Mountain View, Calif.) and junior Aleiah Brandon (Fontana, Calif.) scored 11 points apiece, while sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) displayed an all-round effort with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals.
The Aggies are SDSU's first repeat opponent of the 2015-16 campaign after USU dealt the Aztecs a 55-36 defeat at Steve Fisher Court on Jan. 2. Throughout that contest, San Diego State was unable to overcome an ice-cold performance from the field, connecting on just 12 of 64 its shot attempts. Despite the setback, the Aztecs still lead the all-time series 5-2.
SDSU is also 2-1 in three visits to Logan after posting a 70-59 victory in the lone meeting between the two sides last year. In that game, the Scarlet and Black limited eventual Mountain West Freshman of the Year Funda Nakkasoglu to just eight points and sank 16 of 21 free throws in the second half to keep the Aggies at bay.
The Aztecs have been taking better care of the ball recently, maintaining the MW's third-best turnover margin (+3.3) in conference play, trailing only New Mexico (+4.8) and Colorado State (+3.5). Through six league games last season, SDSU committed 99 miscues, 22 more than this year's total, and ranked sixth in MW competition in turnover margin (-0.3). In addition, the Aztecs rank second in league action with 36.3 rebounds allowed per game.
Individually, the Aztecs have been led so far this year by Fort, who ranks fifth in the MW for all games in scoring (14.5 ppg) and is tied for third in steals (2.1/gm). In addition, the 5-9 guard finds herself among the conference leaders in minutes played (9th - 32.4/gm), free-throw percentage (9th - (.636)) and field-goal percentage (11th - (.471)). Meanwhile, Harvey is averaging 13.0 points per game in league play and is listed fifth in three-point field goals made (2.0/gm) and seventh in three-point percentage (.414).
After locking horns with the Aggies, San Diego State will return to the friendly environs of Montezuma Mesa next week to face Nevada on Wednesday, Jan. 27, beginning at 6:30 p.m. PT.