March 1, 2017
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU concludes its regular season and honors its seniors at home on Fri., March 3 with a 6:30 p.m. game vs. New Mexico. Prior to the contest, the Aztecs will honor seniors Ariell Bostick, Aleiah Brandon and Kymberly Ellison.
In its last game, San Diego State used a complete team performance to secure a road Mountain West victory, downing Air Force, 64-51, Tuesday night in Clune Arena. SDSU had one of its most consistent games of the season, scoring at least 13 points in each quarter. Additionally, every Aztec scored two-or-more points.
Tonight is the last regular season game for the Aztecs' three seniors: Ariell Bostick, Aleiah Brandon and Kymberly Ellison. The trio has combined to play in 237 games and make 97 starts, averaging 18.98 minutes per game between them. Bostick will go down as one of the best playmakers in SDSU history, leading her team in the assists ledger three of her four seasons on Montezuma Mesa. Brandon provided invaluable leadership on and off the court as a fifth-year senior. Despite being hampered by injuries, she was still a contributor to the Aztecs' play, appearing in 73 games and averaging over 12 minutes a game. After transferring to San Diego State following two years at Georgia Tech, Ellison has led SDSU to its best 3-point shooting season in program history this season. Her 58 3-pointers in 2016-17 rank ninth in the program record book.
New Mexico (15-13, 10-7 MW) has suffered defeats in three of its last four games, but just barely. The Lobos have lost by a combined total of seven points in those three contests, and have been defeated in the final seconds of each game. Throughout the season, New Mexico has proven to be one of the top defensive teams in the nation. The Lobos have the second-most defensive rebounds nationally with 33, have the fourth-most total rebounds per game (45.82) and are ninth in field goal percentage defense (34.7). Senior transfer Richelle van der Keijl is the Lobos' top player on defense, with her 9.8 boards per game ranking second in the Mountain West. Cherise Beynon is New Mexico's leader on offense, averaging 15.9 points per game. Beynon is also one of the league's top playmakers, as her 6.7 assists pace the field.
San Diego State and New Mexico will meet for the 60th time, and the second time this season. Prior to this season, SDSU averaged 58.9 points in its games vs. UNM to the Lobos' 58.6 points. The Scarlet and Black has taken three of its last five meetings in San Diego against New Mexico, losing the last two contests in Viejas Arena.
SDSU opens the Mountain West Tournament on Mon., March 6. San Diego State's seed will be determined following Friday's contest, with Nevada, also sporting a 5-12 MW mark, sitting in the No. 9 seed and SDSU in the No. 10 spot. If the teams are tied after Friday's games, the Wolfpack will be the No. 9 seed and the Aztecs will be the No. 10 seed