Jan. 16, 2017
SAN DIEGO -
Following its first two-game conference road trip of the season, San Diego State returns to Viejas Arena to welcome UNLV for Mountain West action on Weds., Jan. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Chris Ello will call the play-by-play action for a live stream on the Mountain West Network.
In its most recent outing, despite a thrilling fourth quarter, San Diego State was unable to get past Utah State and fell on the road to the Aggies, 53-47, on Sat., Jan. 11. The Aztecs managed to overcome a first quarter in which they were outscored, 19-9, getting to within two points with 38 seconds on the clock, but could not seal the deal against the Aggies. McKynzie Fort led the team for the 11th time this season, as she posted 17 points. Geena Gomez recorded 12 points, while Khalia Lark got a team-high eight rebounds.
For the second-straight season, the Aztecs are led offensively by Fort. The Fontana, Calif., native, who recently became the 21st member of the Aztecs' 1,000-point club and the eighth Aztec to reach the mark in her third season, leads the team and ranks second in the Mountain West with 16.9 points per game.
Joining San Diego State following the fall semester following a transfer from Washington, Fort's classmate, Lark, has emerged as a vital component to SDSU's success. The Irvine, Calif., native has averaged 10.9 points and 7.3 boards in her first seven games, leading the Aztecs in rebounds in six of seven games played and becoming just the second Aztec this year to score 20-or-more points with a career-high 22 against Nevada.
A huge part of the Aztecs' play to start Mountain West play has been their performance from beyond the 3-point arc. Against SJSU, the Scarlet and Black drilled a season-high 12 3-pointers, its third straight game with 10-or-more threes. SDSU was the first team in the conference to score double-digit threes in three straight Mountain West games, the first time since at least the 1999-2000 season that the Aztecs had consecutive games with 10-or-more 3-pointers. Against conference foes, San Diego State ranks third with 8.4 3-pointers made per game.
UNLV (12-5, 3-2 MW) is riding high, in the midst of a three-game win streak after starting conference play with an 0-2 mark. The Lady Rebels are coming off of a thrilling win over then-first-place New Mexico, 56-42, holding the Lobos to their lowest point total of the season by 10 points. UNLV is one of the top defensive teams in the conference, ranking third in scoring defense (57.2) and leading the MW with 9.8 steals per game. The team also has the second-most offensive boards with 41.4 per contest. Offensively, Dakota Gonzalez leads her team with 12.5 points per game, while Brooke Johnson ranks second with 11.5 points per game.
All-time against the Lady Rebels, San Diego State holds a narrow series margin at 27-26. UNLV has taken three of the teams' last four meetings. However, when playing in the comfortable confines of Viejas Arena, the Aztecs are 17-8.
Following the game against UNLV, SDSU has a bye before hosting Air Force on Weds., Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m.