SAN DIEGO – The Aztec women's basketball team (4-1) goes for their fifth win in a row when they host Grambling State (1-3) Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. inside Viejas Arena.
Aztec Tidbits
• SDSU beat Portland 53-51 on a buzzer-beater from Sophia Ramos last Friday. The Aztecs trailed by seven with 3:43 left and then finished the game on a 10-1 run.
• Mercedes Staples led the Aztecs with 20 points on 7-15 shooting while playing a team-high 38 minutes.
• SDSU is on a four-game winning streak with wins over San Diego Christian (81-30), Antelope Valley (95-41), Southeastern Louisiana (69-53) and Portland (55-53). They have an average winning margin of 30.8 points over that span.
• This is the Aztecs' first four-game winning streak since February of 2019.
• SDSU has started 4-1 in each of the last two years and in three of the last five (also 2018-19). The last time the Aztecs had a 5-1 start was the 2007-08 season when they began the year 8-1.
• Mercedes Staples (Centerville, Utah) is averaging 19.0 points over the last two games while shooting 71.4 percent (10-14) from three. Against Southeastern Louisiana she was a perfect 6-for-6 from three to become the first Aztec in the Mountain West era to make six or more three-pointers without a miss.
• Staples is shooting an even 50 percent from three on the year and 38.9 percent in her SDSU career, good for second in program history. Her 2.8 made three-pointers per game is second in the conference.
• Fifth year senior Sophia Ramos (San Antonio, Texas) surpassed 1,600 career points Saturday to move past Paris Johnson (1,598 points, 2008-11) and into fourth place on the all-time scoring list. Next up for Ramos is McKynzie Fort who scored 1,708 points from 2015-18.
• Ramos is one of three players in the nation with career totals of at least 1,600 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists.
• Ramos is in the top 10 in program history in 10statistical categories and in the top five in six, including made points (4th), threes (4th), assists (5th) and made free throws (5th).
• Abby Prohaska (Liberty Township, Ohio) is one of 28 players in the nation shooting 100 percent from the free throw line (minimum 2.5 makes per game).
• The Aztecs are second in the Mountain West in scoring defense (52.6) and field goal percentage defense (.353). They are third in scoring margin (17.0).
• With their 4-1 record, SDSU is in second place in the Mountain West, trailing only UNLV (4-0), last year's regular season and tournament champions.
• SDSU is in a stretch of six straight home games. After Grambling State on Tuesday, they host Seattle (Nov. 25). Since the beginning of last year, the Aztecs are 14-5 inside Viejas Arena.
So Much Depth
• SDSU has six players in their fifth year of college and 10 of their 13 scholarship players are upperclassmen.
• The Aztecs have 10 players averaging 15 or more minutes per game and none playing more than 30.
• SDSU has seven players averaging between 6.0 and 15 points per game.
• The Aztecs have already had eight players score in double-digits.
• Six Aztecs average between 4.0 and 5.5 rebounds and as a team, SDSU has a +4.4 rebound margin per game.
Season Accomplishments
• The Aztecs had back-to-back 50+ point wins (San Diego Christian and Antelope Valley) for the first time since 1984.
• SDSU had 27 steals against San Diego Christian, their most in a game in the Mountain West era (2000-present).
• The Aztecs held San Diego Christian to 30 points, the lowest point total they've held an opponent to since 2015, also against San Diego Christian (60-25).
• The Aztecs' two 50+ point victories were their largest margin of victory since Dec. 18, 2007, a 91-33 win over Navy.
• Mercedes Staples was a perfect 6-for-6 from three against Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 15). to become the first Aztec in the Mountain West era to make six or more three-pointers without a miss.
• Abby Prohaska was 12-for-12 from the free throw line vs. Antelope Valley (Nov. 12), making her just the second Aztec in the Mountain West era to make at least 12 free throws without a miss (Sophia Ramos, 16-16 vs. New Mexico 1-29-20).
• Two Aztecs have had double-doubles this year, Khylee Pepe and Abby Prohaska, and it was the first career double-double for both of them.
• Alex Crain had seven steals against San Diego Christian, the most by an Aztec in a game since Dec. 19, 2013 (Ahjalee Harvey vs. Miami Ohio). Crain had five steals in 226 minutes last year.
• The Aztecs received votes in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll.
Opponent Notebook (Grambling State)
• Grambling is 1-3 on the season.
• They started the year with losses to Tulane (46-72), Arizona State (49-62) and Grand Canyon (56-63) and then beat New Orleans 69-59 in their home opener last Friday.
• They went 14-17 last year and 10-8 in the SWAC.
• Colbi Maples and Miracle Saxon lead Grambling State in scoring, averaging 11.3 and 11.0 points respectively.
• Saxon averages a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game.
• Leah Morrow averaged 9.0 points and leads the team with 31.5 minutes per game.
• They are shooting just 23.8 percent from three.
• Head coach Freddie Murray is in his sixth year on the Grambling State staff and in his fourth year as head coach.
• This will be the first ever meeting between Grambling State and San Diego State.
• The Aztecs are 7-2 all-time against schools from the SWAC.
Aztecs Host Grambling State Tuesday Night
