LOGAN, Utah – Mercedes Staples of the Aztec women's basketball team (10-11, 4-6) scored a lay-in with less than a second left to lift SDSU to a 68-67 win at Utah State (7-14, 2-9) Wednesday evening.
The Aztecs led for the majority of the night but there were six lead changes in the final minute of the game. The Aggies made their final six field goals including a Kaylin Randhawa jumper with eight seconds left which put Utah State up one point. Sophia Ramos, who scored 27 points, took the inbound pass and went nearly the length of the floor before finding Staples running the floor. Staples got an Aggie defender in the air with a pump fake and then banked in the winning lay-in with 0.6 seconds left. Staples then deflected the Aggies inbounds pass as time expired.
Ramos finished with 27 points for the second straight game, shooting an efficient 9-for-16 from the floor and 8-for-9 from the line. She became the first Aztec in the Mountain West era (1999-2022) to score 25 points or more in back-to-back games. She also led the team in rebounds (6), assists (6) and steals (4) and committed just two turnovers in 39 minutes.
Asia Avinger finished with 13 points with nine coming in the first quarter. She battled foul trouble and was limited to a season-low 17 minutes. Staples had 12 points including the game-winner.
The Aztecs opened the game on a 7-0 run and held an 18-12 lead at the end of the first quarter fueled by nine points by Asia Avinger.
After SDSU matched their largest lead at 21-14, the Aggies went on a 7-0 run to tie the game. The Aztecs then immediately responded with a 6-0 run of their own to retake the lead.
With Avinger on the bench with foul trouble, Sophia Ramos began to take over and scored 16 of her 27 in the second half.
Utah State took their first lead of the night (43-42) with 4:13 left in the third quarter and there were nine more lead changes from that point on.
A five-minute scoring drought by the Aggies helped SDSU open up a 60-55 lead, but the Aztecs also struggled to score at that time and couldn't put Utah State away. That would prove costly as the Aggies eventually went on a 6-0 run and took the lead with 45 seconds left.
Two Ramos free throws gave SDSU the lead back with 36 seconds left and Ramos then got a steal on the other end. However, an Aggie steal led to a fast break lay-in with 24 seconds left.
Avinger scored just eight seconds later on a Staples assist before setting up the wild final 10 seconds.
Utah State was led by Shyla Latone's 20 points, with 15 coming in the first half. Adryana Quezada had 18 and E'Lease Stafford had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
STAT OF THE GAME
There were six lead changes in the final minute of the game.
THE NOTE
Sophia Ramos eclipsed 1,400 career points, becoming just the eighth Aztec ever to reach that mark. She also scored 27 points for the second consecutive game, making her the first Aztec in the Mountain West era to score 25 points or more in back-to-back games.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs play at Boise State Saturday at 11 a.m. PT.
Aztecs Score in Final Second to Win at Utah St.
