Jan. 13, 2018
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State women's basketball team was unable to build on a seven-point halftime lead against visiting Boise State on Saturday, dropping an 86-70 decision in a Mountain West game at Steve Fisher Court.
The Aztecs (8-8, 2-3 MW) built a 43-36 bulge by intermission, but the Broncos outscored the host school 50-27 in the second half to pull away for the victory. Boise State (10-7, 4-2 MW) shot 54.8 percent from the field during that stretch, including a 57.1 percent clip from three-point territory (8-14) while notching 16 points off 10 SDSU turnovers.
Four players posted double-digit scoring figures for the Aztecs, led by senior Geena Gomez, who tallied 14 points, highlighted by a 7-for-8 performance at the free-throw line. In addition, fellow classmate McKynzie Fort contributed to the SDSU charge with 13 points of her own, followed by senior Cheyenne Greenhouse (12 points) and sophomore Baylee Vanderdoes (11 points), who also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds in the loss.
Despite connecting on 21 of 24 free throws on the afternoon (87.5 percent), however, the Aztecs were unable to contain the exploits of Bronco guard Riley Lupfer, who tallied 25 of her career-high tying 28 points in the second half on 8-of-10 shooting, including a 6-for-8 pace from beyond the arc. Boise State also received 19 points from Tess Amundsen, who buried three treys as well, while Shalen Shaw finished with 16 points and six rebounds.
Collectively, Boise State dished out 25 assists on the afternoon, with Braydey Hodgins logging a personal-best 10 helpers, followed by teammate Marta Hermida's eight.
The two sides battled through six ties and four lead changes in the first half. SDSU forged a 24-18 advantage with 37 seconds elapsed in the second quarter following a Greenhouse layup, but the Broncos kept whittling away at the deficit, ultimately taking a 36-34 lead on a Hermida jumper with 1:48 left in the period.
Unfazed, the Aztecs caught lightning in a bottle at this juncture, closing the half with a 9-0 run, including back-to-back layups by Fort and Gomez in the final three seconds to give the hosts a 43-36 advtantage heading into the locker room.
However, SDSU could not build on that momentum, as Boise State opened the third quarter with an 11-0 surge to take the lead for good. Lupfer nailed a pair of three-pointers during that span, while Shaw completed an and-one opportunity.
Trailing 47-43 with 6:48 to go in the period, Aztecs kept things close over the next nine minutes, pulling to within 65-63 on a pair of Greenhouse free throws at the 7:49 mark of the fourth quarter. SDSU could draw no closer, however, as Shaw and Lupfer netted three-pointers on consecutive possessions to spark a 21-7 closing run for the Broncos.
After connecting on 15 of 32 field-goal attempts in the first half (46.9 percent), the Aztecs ran out of steam in the final two quarters, hitting just eight of 20 shots from the floor. (40 percent).
San Diego State returns to action next week when it travels to Fresno State for another Mountain West matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Game time is set for 7 p.m. PT.