SAN DIEGO – The Aztec women's basketball team (3-1) gave Georgia Southern its first loss of the year with a 65-57 win Saturday afternoon inside Viejas Arena. The Aztecs found themselves down eight points with seven minutes to go but then finished the game on a 17-3 run, making seven of their final eight shots.
Asia Avinger and Sophia Ramos led the way for the Aztecs. Avinger had 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals while Ramos had 13 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
"The message before the game was character growth and how we respond using our character and learning from experiences to grow," Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson explained. "I thought we did a really good job of when we lost the lead, there was no hanging of the heads. We buckled down and got stops. That's really refreshing to see with this team."
The Aztecs began the game on a 7-0 run and forced the Eagles to miss their first six shots. Both teams struggled offensively, combining to shoot 4-for-22 to start the game. However, SDSU got hot towards the end of the first quarter and went on an 11-0 run to push their lead to 19-5, which would be their largest of the game.
The Eagles, who averaged 82 points per game, were held to 3-for-17 shooting in the first quarter.
Behind three three-pointers from Mya Burns, Georgia Southern scored 16 points in the first five minutes of the second half to take their first lead of the game 36-34. The squads then traded 6-0 runs and the Eagles held a one-point lead entering the fourth.
Georgia Southern pushed their lead to eight early in the fourth quarter. The Aztecs then started firing on all cylinders. They made their next seven shots and held the Eagles scoreless for the next five minutes behind a couple of big steals from Avinger. Mercedes Staples had six of her 10 points in the final quarter as well.
STAT OF THE GAME
The Aztecs held the Eagles to 25 points below their season average.
QUOTE OF THE GAME
"There is a togetherness and a toughness and a want-to that hasn't been here for a while. It starts with Sophia, Asia, Mercedes and Mallory, and it's trickled down to all the new kids. I'm really proud of what we're doing. Opponents are going to go on runs, but it's how we withstand and respond. That's what I'm looking at and today we got an A+ for that.' Coach Stacie Terry-Hutson
THE NOTE
Playing in her fourth career game, Asia Avinger set new career highs in points (14), rebounds (8), assists (6), and steals (4) in 38 minutes.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs have a quick turnaround and host UAB Monday at 1 p.m. inside Viejas Arena.
Aztec Rally Past Georgia Southern 65-57
