SAN DIEGO – The Aztec women's basketball team (5-8, 3-4) heads to Laramie, Wyoming (6-7, 4-6) for a two-game series against the Cowgirls this week. The Aztecs will take on Wyoming on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. PT and Saturday at 12 p.m. PT. Both games will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
Need to Know
• The Aztecs split their series against Air Force last week, winning game one 59-54 before falling 55-58 in the finale.
• Mercedes Staples is averaging 21.3 points over her last three games.
• In conference play, Staples ranks in the top seven in scoring (15.4, 7th), rebounding (9.0 2nd) and field goal percentage (.524, T-3rd). She leads the conference with 7.7 defensive rebounds per game.
• Téa Adams, the Aztecs' lone senior, had 11 points, seven assists and five steals in Saturday's game. Over the last three games, she has 18 assists and just eight turnovers.
• Freshman Kim Villalobos is averaging 3.4 offensive rebounds per game in conference play, tops in the Mountain West. Her freshman sidekick Kamaria Gipson is also in the top five, bringing in 2.7 offensive boards per game.
• The Aztecs are first in the conference in field goal percentage defense (.371), second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.283) and third in scoring defense (64.3).
• Despite having four games canceled or postponed, the Aztecs are tied for the most games played (13) in the Mountain West.
• The Mountain West posted a .600 win percentage (27-18) in nonconference 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.
Notes from Sunday (L, 55-58 vs. Air Force)
• The Aztecs shot 54.5 percent (6-11) from three, a season-high.
• SDSU's 55 points tied for a season low.
• Téa Adams tied a career-high with five steals.
• Isabela Hernandez played a career-high 37 minutes.
• Kim Villalobos hauled in 10 rebounds, a career-high.
Notes from Friday (W, 59-54 vs. Air Force)
• The Aztecs were 6-for-10 from three in the fourth quarter after going 1-for-5 in the first three quarters.
• The Aztecs had a season-high 17 assists, topping the 16 they had in their last game vs. Utah State.
• SDSU made just six free throws, a season-low.
• The Aztecs scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, tied for the most on the year in any quarter. However, they also set season-highs for fewest points in a quarter (4 in the 1sr) and fewest points in a half (17 in the 1st).
• Air Force attempted 34 three-pointers, the most by an Aztec opponent this season.
• Mercedes Staples scored 24 points for the second straight game and her 10 made field goals were the most by an Aztec in a game this season.
Opponent Notebook (Wyoming)
• Wyoming is 6-7 on the season and 4-6 in conference.
• They were swept at Nevada last week, losing 52-60 and 50-57.
• They swept Air Force at home and split with Fresno State and UNLV. They lost both of their games at Boise State.
• The Cowgirls returned three starters from last year's team that went 17-12 and 12-6 in conference.
• Wyoming has won 10 or more games in conference play in each of the last four seasons.
• The Cowgirls have student-athletes from seven different countries: The United States (8),
Australia (1), Croatia (1), Greece (1), Iceland (1), Poland (1) and Spain (2).
• Alba Sanchez Ramos (11.8 ppg) and McKinley Bradshaw (10.9 ppg) are both averaging double-digit scoring. Quinn Weidemann is scoring 9.9 points per game and leads the team with 24 made three-pointers.
• Tommi Olsen is second in the conference with 4.7 assists per game. She has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.97.
• Wyoming leads the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 62.8 points per game. However, they are last in three-point percentage defense (.368).
• The Cowgirls turn the ball over 11.9 times per game, the 10th best rate in the nation.
• They commit just 12.9 personal fouls a game, second best in the nation.
• Head coach Gerald Mattinson is in his second year as the head coach at Wyoming. He was an assistant on the Cowgirl staff for 16 years.
Wyoming Series Notes
• Wyoming leads the all-time series 31-29.
• The Aztecs are 7-20 all-time in Laramie and have lost the last four road games (all by double-digits).
• Two of the last three meetings went to overtime with each team winning once.
Aztecs Playing at Wyoming Thursday & Saturday
