SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State women's basketball team (3-7, 1-3) will host Utah State (4-4, 2-1) in their first conference home series of the season. The Aztecs will take on the Aggies on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 12 p.m. Both games will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
Aztec Notes
• The Aztecs split their series at Nevada last week. The Aztecs had their best defensive performance of the season to win the first game 59-43 after holding the Wolf Pack to 21 percent shooting from the field. In the second game, the Aztecs rallied from a 17-point second half deficit to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but then saw Nevada go on a 7-0 run to secure the 66-59 victory.
• Téa Adams, the Aztecs' lone senior, tied her career-high with 24 points last Thursday. Adams is leading the team in field goal percentage (.553), three-point percentage (.524) and assists (3.2 per game). Her 55.3 field goal percentage is the best in the conference among qualified players.
• Thursday's game will be Adams' 100th career game for the Aztecs. She has started 69 games and scored in 94 of them, including 56 straight.
• Mercedes Staples is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game. As of Jan. 12, she leads the conference in total rebounds (85) and defensive rebounds per game (7.4) and is third in rebounds per game (8.5).
• Mallory Adams made her first appearance of the season at Nevada last week, her first game since November 26, 2019. The 6'0" forward from Frisco, Texas missed all but six games last season (and received a medical redshirt) and the first eight games this season. As a freshman, she averaged 12.2 points and 8.9 rebounds and was named to the Mountain West All-Freshman Team.
• SDSU is averaging just 10.7 turnovers per game over their last three contests after averaging 17.3 in their first seven games.
• The Mountain West posted a .600 win percentage (27-18) in non-conference play in 2020-21. If the season were to end today, this would be the conference's best win percentage in non-conference action since the 2009-10 season (.622).
• SDSU announced they will be the newest member of the Jordan Brand family beginning at the start of the 2021-22 season. SDSU is just the ninth women's basketball program in the Jordan lineup.
Opponent Notebook (Utah State)
• Utah State is 4-4 on the season and 2-1 in conference.
• The Aggies have nine newcomers this year.
• Their most recent series against New Mexico was postponed.
• They swept Air Force at home and their lone conference loss was to San Jose State (78-73) in Phoenix.
• They went 2-3 in non-conference play.
• Jessica Chatman leads the Aggies in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (8.1).
• Bre Mathews is second on the team in scoring (12.2) and leads the team in field goal percentage (.500).
• The Aggies lead the conference in defensive rebounds per game (32.4) and are second in total rebounds per game (44.5).
• They are holding teams to 37.5 percent shooting from the field, second-best in the Mountain West.
• Head coach Kayla Ard is in her first season with the Aggies. She came from the University of Denver where she was the associate head coach (2017-20). She made prior stops at Dayton (2015-17), Clemson (2013-15), Troy (2012-13) and Pensacola State (2010-12).
Series Notes
• San Diego State leads the all-time series 9-7.
• Since Utah State joined the Mountain West, they lead the all-time series 7-6.
• The Aztecs are 5-2 all-time against the Aggies at home.
• Their last meeting was in the first round at the Mountain West Championships where the Aggies upset the Aztecs 81-79 in overtime.
• Aside from the last meeting, neither team has reached 70 points in the last seven games.
Aztecs Back in Viejas to Host Utah State
