SAN DIEGO – The Aztec women's basketball team (10-3) begins Mountain West play at Utah State (3-9, 0-1) Saturday when they take on the Aggies at 4 p.m. PT (5 p.m. MT).
Aztec Tidbits
• SDSU's 10-3 start is the Aztecs' best since the 2008-09 season.
• The Aztecs' 10-3 non-conference winning percentage is their best since the 1995-96 season (10-2, .833).
• SDSU's Mountain West opener at Boise State scheduled for Dec. 29 was postponed due to national travel issues. A rescheduled date has yet to be announced.
• SDSU went 1-1 at the West Palm Beach Invitational before Christmas. They beat Miami (Ohio) 66-57 and then lost to Georgia.
• In the Aztecs' win over Miami (Ohio), SDSU had a 19-2 run in the fourth quarter.
• SDSU is ranked No. 86 in the NET, the third highest in the Mountain West. The Aztecs have played four opponents in the top 100, going 2-2 in those contests
• The Aztecs are 8-0 at home this season, making it the first time they've started their home schedule 8-0 since the 2008-09 team which was a
• Since the beginning of last year SDSU is 18-5 inside Viejas Arena.
• The Aztecs are first in the Mountain West in points allowed (13th, 53.0), field goal percentage defense (35.4%) and three-point percentage defense (.263). Their 53 points allowed per game is 13th in the nation.
• SDSU has had more steals than their opponent in all but one game. Their 11.4 steals per game is 24th in the nation.
• The Aztecs are also top three in the conference in field goal percentage (.354), scoring margin (+13.2), turnover margin (+4.77) and turnovers forced per game (20.77).
• Only UNLV (11-2), last year's regular season and tournament champions, has more wins in the Mountain West than the Aztecs.
• Sophia Ramos (San Antonio, Texas) is the only player in the nation with at least 1,600 points, 600 rebounds and 450 assists in her career.
• Ramos is in the top five in program history in seven statistical categories including assists (2nd), made free throws (3rd), points (4th) and threes (4th).
• Ramos is 14 points away from passing McKynzie Fort (2015-18) for third place in the all-time scoring list and 39 away from second (Falisha Wright, 1992-95).
• Asia Avinger had 25 points against Miami Ohio on Dec. 20, the most by an Aztec this year. Last season against Boise State she scored 30 points, which was the most by a SDSU freshman in the Mountain West era.
• Mercedes Staples (Centerville, Utah) is shooting 47.2 percent from three on the year and 39.8 percent in her SDSU career, the best in program history. She leads the Mountain West in three-point percentage (.472).
Opponent Notebook (Utah State)
• The Aggies are 3-9 on the year
• They are 2-3 at home.
• They have lost four games in a row.
• They began Mountain West play with a 77-63 loss at Air Force.
• Maria Carvalho and Mayson Kimball each average double-digit points and shoot above 40 percent from three.
• They make 7.1 three-pointers per game.
• They are last in the conference in points allowed per game (72.8), field goal percentage defense (.453) and three-point percentage defense (.344)
• Head coach Kayla Ard is in her third season as the Utah State head coach.
All-time Series (Utah State)
• The Aztecs are 12-7 all-time against Utah State.
• SDSU has won five of the last six meetings.
• In their last meeting, SDSU won 68-67 after Mercedes Staples scored a game-winning lay-in with less than a second left. Sophia Ramos scored 27 points and led the team in rebounds, assists and steals. Current Aztec Adryana Quezada scored18 points.
• The Aztecs are 5-4 at Utah State and won three in a row in Logan.
• Neither team has topped 70 points in 10 of the last 11 meetings.
• The Aztecs are 9-7 against the Aggies since they joined the Mountain West.
Aztecs Begin Conference Play at Utah State Saturday
