Jan. 11, 2017
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Diego State women's basketball battled Mountain West foe San Jose State to the final second but ultimately fell in a heartbreaking 81-80 overtime loss to the Spartans Wednesday night. McKynzie Fort, who notched her second-career double-double, became the 21st member of the program's 1,000-point club during the game as she matched career-highs with 29 points and 11 rebounds.
With the loss, San Diego State moves even in conference play with a 2-2 mark and is now 7-8 overall. San Jose State is also now even against Mountain West opponents at 2-2 and is 5-11 this year.
"Our kids never gave up," head coach Stacie Terry said. "Any time you go on the road in this league, it's going to be a tough game. This team is growing because we put ourselves in position to win this thing time and time again. We fought back to get to overtime and we fought to get the lead in overtime. I'm really proud of our effort tonight."
With five-tenths of a second on the clock in overtime, the Mountain West's leading scorer Dezz Ramos knocked down a jumper from the left corner of the key for the 81-80 game-winner. She totaled a game-high 34 points with seven assists.
"She hit a phenomenal shot over our best defender," Terry said. "I wouldn't have wanted any other matchup. I want Ari (Bostick) on her all day. But Ramos hit a great shot and she's a great player."
During the game, Fort became the 21st person in program history to score 1,000 points during her career with a 29-point, 11-rebound performance, both of which matched career highs. Fort is just the eighth Aztec to get to 1,000 points in fewer than four seasons, and is the only junior in the Mountain West to get to 1,000 career points this season.
SDSU had its third straight game with 10-or-more 3-pointers, knocking down a season-high 12 threes. The team was led beyond the 3-point arc by Geena Gomez, who posted career-highs with seven boards and 20 points. She drilled four 3-pointers, matching a career best. Khalia Lark's team-high 12 rebounds were the most of her career, while Lexy Thorderson recorded 13 points for her eighth double-digit outing this season. Ariell Bostick led her team with five assists.
The Aztecs got off to a rough start. The team was out-scored 22-10 in the opening frame, the lowest point output for an opening period this season, and shot 3-for-18 (17 percent) from the floor. But San Diego State showed its resiliency, out-scoring the Spartans, 16-12, in the second quarter and dominating the third quarter by a 27-14 margin.
In the fourth quarter, the Scarlet and Black led by as much as eight, but SJSU went on a 10-2 run to close the frame and force the game into overtime.
The overtime period saw each team hold a 3-point advantage at some point during the frame. With four ticks on the clock, Fort battled through traffic to get a layup and the Aztec lead at 80-79. But it wasn't enough as the Spartans were able to eke out the victory.
For the game, San Diego State shot 38 percent (30-for-79) and was 12-for-30 from 3-point range. The Aztecs shot just 50 percent (8-for-16) from the free-throw line. SDSU won the battle on the glass, 53-41, for a season-high, while the Spartans edged the Aztecs in assists, 15-13.
San Diego State continues its road swing with a Saturday afternoon contest at Utah State on Saturday at 2 p.m. (MT).