Feb. 23, 2018
MW Network | Live Stats | Game Notes • The Aztecs host San José State for their final home game of the 2017-18 season Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The Aztecs will have a ceremony to honor their six seniors before the game. • Saturday's game will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network with Chris Ello calling the action courtside.
• The Aztecs lost to Air Force 56-48 Wednesday evening inside Viejas Arena. SDSU fell behind 8-0 to start the game and never recovered and trailed by double-digits for the majority of the game.
• Geena Gomez led the Aztecs with 18 points, going 12-for-13 from the free-throw line. Naje Murray added nine points and Cheyenne Greenhouse had six points and a season-high eight rebounds. • McKynzie Fort now has 1,639 career points, good for third on the Aztecs' all-time scoring list. Next up is Falisha Wright (1992-95) with 1,733 career points.
• Entering the week, Fort occupies the fifth spot in the Mountain West with an average of 16.2 points per game. She is also sixth in field-goal percentage amongst qualified players (.462) and tenth in assists (3.4/gm). In addition, senior Geena Gomez (10.2 ppg) is eighth in assists (3.7/gm) and ninth in three-point accuracy (.369).
• The Aztecs have already set a program record for season attendance. With one home game still remaining, the Aztecs have had 21,556 fans through 15 games for an average of 1,437. This breaks the total and average attendance records set in 2007-08, when the Aztecs drew 14,730 fans for an average of 1,133 per game.
• Collectively, the Aztecs are slotted fifth in the MW this week in three-point field goal percentage (33.8) and sixth in three-pointers made (6.9/gm). They also rank fifth in rebounding margin (-0.3) and in rebounds per game (37.1).
• As a team, SDSU is averaging 64.2 points per game while yielding 68.0 on the defensive side of the ball. In addition, the Aztecs are shooting 39.0 percent from the floor and 33.7 percent from three-point territory.
• Following Saturday's home game, the Aztecs head on the road for their final two games of the regular season. They play at Boise State Tuesday evening (6:00 p.m. PT) and at Nevada on Friday (6:30 p.m. PT.).
All-Time Series vs. San José State
• Wednesday's game will be the 30th meeting between the two schools.
• The Spartans have won three of the last four meetings.
• The Aztecs are 11-2 all-time against the Spartans on their home floor.
• The Aztecs won at San José State 75-65 on January 10. Four Aztecs scored in double-digits, led by Geena Gomez's 21 and McKynzie Fort's 19. SDSU held the Spartans to 30 percent shooting from the floor.
• The Spartans went 3-0 against the Aztecs last season, the first time they had ever swept the Aztecs.
• Their first meeting was December 3, 1977, an 89-83 Aztecs win at Cal Poly. The Aztecs would go on to win 10 of their first 11 meetings.
Scouting the Spartans
• San José State is 7-19 overall and 4-11 in MW play, tied with the Aztecs..
• They beat Nevada at home 57-54 Wednesday evening to snap an eight game losing streak.
• The Spartans are 2-9 on the road this season.
• Seniors Hallie Gennett (975) and Myzhanique Ladd (971) are closing in on 1,000 points for their career. • Analyss Benally has set the SJSU record for three-pointers made as a sophomore. Her 56 threes this season rank fifth in the MW.
• SJSU is second in the conference in three-pointers made and attempted, but just eighth in three-point percentage (33.2).
• The Spartans average 68.7 points per game, the third most in the conference but allow 81.5 points per game, the most in the conference.
• The Falcons are third in the conference in assists, but are ninth in turnovers (16.7 pg) and turnover margin (-1.50).
• Head coach Jamie Craighead is in her fifth season leading the Spartans. Her 2014-15 team set a program record for most points in a season in program history. She came to SJSU after spending four years as the head coach at Sacramento State where was the youngest coach in Division I.
Notes with a 'W'
An Aztec victory over San José State on Saturday will mean:
• SDSU will improve to 11-16 overall and 5-11 in the Mountain West.
• They will win two games in a season against SJSU for the first time since 2014.
• SDSU will win improve to 9-7 at home, giving the Aztecs a winning home record in 10 of the past 11 seasons.
• The Aztecs will match their win total from last season.
• SDSU will improve to 12-2 all-time against San José State at home.
Noting the Air Force Game
• Geena Gomez went 12-for-13 from the free-throw line. Before her lone miss, she had made 17 in a row, a stretch that spanned all the way back to January 17. Additionally, her 12 makes from the line were the most by an Aztec this season.
• Cheyenne Greenhouse led the Aztecs with eight rebounds, her highest total of the season. • For the second consecutive game, Naje Murray had four steals, matching the career-high she set last Saturday at UNLV.
• The Aztecs' seven fourth quarter field goals matched their total for the first three quarters combined.
• Geena Gomez and Khalia Lark remain the only two Aztecs to start all 26 games this season.
Senior Sendoff
• The Aztecs will honor six seniors before Saturday's game: Allison Brown, McKynzie Fort, Geena Gomez, Cheyenne Greenhouse, Khalia Lark, and Lexy Thorderson.
• Allison Brown (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) joined the team as a walk-on in 2014 and has appeared in 31 games and scored 18 points over the past four years.
• Khalia Lark (Irvine, Calif.) transferred to SDSU after 1.5 seasons at Washington. Since arriving she has appeared in every game and is one of two Aztecs to start every game this season (Geena Gomez).
• Cheyenne Greenhouse (Riverside, Calif.) has become a symbol of durability for the Aztecs. Over her four years on the Mesa, she has missed just one game and will finish her career in the top ten all-time for games played.
• Lexy Thorderson (Castle Rock, Colo.) is known for her long range accuracy and is top five all-time in career three-point field goals made and attempted. This season as a team captain, she posted career highs for three-point and field goal percentage before a devastating knee injury ended her season in early January. Despite the injury, she will start Saturday's game, before being immediately subbed out.
• Geena Gomez (Huntington Beach, Calif.) came to SDSU after playing her freshman year at Saint Joseph's. She hasn't missed a single game since joining the Aztecs, appearing in 85 contests and making 47 starts. She has scored in double-digits 26 times and her 35.5 career three-point percentage as an Aztec is the fourth best in program history. Additionally, she is in the top ten all-time in three-point makes and attempts.
• McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.) will go down as one of the greatest Aztecs to ever don the scarlet and black. Her name is scattered throughout the record books, highlighted by having the third most career points in program history. She has scored in double-digits in 90 of her 117 career games and has missed just one game in her entire career. She is top five all-time in points, field goals made and attempted, and free-throws made and attempted.