SAN DIEGO – The Aztec women's basketball team (23-10) hosts UC Irvine (24-6) in the first round of the WNIT Friday at 6 p.m. The Anteaters went 16-2 in the Big West to claim the regular season championship.
Aztec Tidbits
• Both teams led their respective conferences in points per game allowed. The Anteaters allow 53.3 points per game while SDSU opponents average 57.4 points.
• SDSU's 23 wins and third place finish in the Mountain West are their best since the 2012-13 season. The Aztecs won a combined 22 games over the previous two seasons.
• The Aztecs were knocked out of the Mountain West tournament in the quarterfinals by the No. 1 seed No. 21/24 UNLV with a 71-68 loss.
• In the quarterfinals SDSU defeated New Mexico 69-68 after taking their first and only lead with 47 seconds remaining. The Aztecs became the first team in tournament history to have six players in double-digits.
• SDSU allows 57.4 points per game, which is the best in the Mountain West and 30th in the nation.
• The Aztecs have a three-point percentage of 36.1 percent, good for 21st in the nation and the second best in school history.
• On the other side of the court, SDSU is holding opponents to 27.9% shooting from three, the best in the Mountain West. The three-point percentage differential of 8.2% is the program's best since at least the 1999-2000 season.
• SDSU's 1.07 assist-to-turnover ratio is their best since the 1983-84 season.
• The Aztecs' effective field goal percentage, which places extra weight on made three-pointers, of 48.9% is their best in the Mountain West era (1999-2023).
• SDSU played 16 games against 10 different teams that made the postseason (6 NCAA & 4 WNIT).
• SDSU is 15-2 at home this season, their best home record since 2012-13 (also 15-2). They have an average margin of victory of 16.3 points at home this year.
• With a win Friday, the Aztecs would set a school record for most home wins in a season.
• Sophia Ramos and Asia Avinger were named to the All-Mountain West Team while Yummy Morris was an honorable mention selection. It's the first time in 10 years that two Aztecs made the all-conference team and also the first time in a decade that three SDSU players were honored.
• Sophia Ramos is the only player in the nation with at least 1,900 points, 600 rebounds and 500 assists in her career. She is one rebound away from 700.
• Ramos is second in school history in points and assists and is in the top three in program history in seven other statistical categories including games (1st), made free throws (2nd), and made threes (2nd).
• Mercedes Staples is shooting 47.1% from three on the year, which is fourth in the nation, & 41.3 percent during her SDSU career, both are the best in program history.
• Asia Avinger scored her 700th career point vs. UNLV last week. She is just the second Aztec in the Mountain West era (1999-2023) to have at least 700 points and 200 assists by the end of her sophomore year (Sophia Ramos)
• The Aztecs have five players averaging between 8.5 and 12.5 points/game.
• SDSU has six players in their fifth year of college. All six have played at least 100 games and are pursuing a master's degree.
• The Aztecs also have six players who were top 100 recruits coming out of high school.
• SDSU has held an opponent to their lowest point total of the year nine times.
• The Aztecs are 18-4 when scoring 60 or more points and 18-0 when their opponent is held under 60.
• In their 33 games, SDSU has had fewer turnovers than their opponent 25 times.
• SDSU has had more steals than their opponent in all but eight games.
• 15 of SDSU's 23 wins have been by double-digits and eight have been by at least 20 points.
• The Aztecs have held their opponent under 50 points nine times and under 40 percent shooting 17 times.
• Six Aztecs had at least a 3.50 GPA in the 2022 fall semester, including Sarah Barcello and Sophia Ramos who each had perfect 4.0s in their Master of Education program.
Player Notes
• Asia Avinger (Cerritos, Calif.) is one of five players in the nation to average at least 11 points, four assists and two steals per game while shooting at least 45 percent from the field.
• Sarah Barcello's (Phoenix, Ariz.) shot 45 percent from three in conference play.
• Alex Crain (McKinney, Texas) shot 38 percent from three in conference play.
• Yummy Morris (North Little Rock, Ark.) surpassed 800 points for her career vs. UNLV. She has scored in double-digits in 11 of the last 13 games and is second on the team with 19 games with 10 or more points.
• 43.4% of Khylee Pepe's (Long Beach, Calif.) rebounds are on the offensive end, by far the most on the team.
• Abby Prohaska is shooting 87.5 percent from the free throw line. That would be the fourth best in a season in school history (minimum 50 attempts).
• Sophia Ramos (San Antonio, Texas) was named to the Mountain West All-Tournament Team. In SDSU's two games she averaged 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field and from three. She had just two turnovers in her 73 minutes.
• Mercedes Staples (Centerville, Utah) has eight games this season with at least four made threes.
• Kim Villalobos (Los Angeles) is one of just six Aztecs in the Mountain West era (1999-2023) to have at least 600 points and 400 rebounds in her career while shooting at least 45 percent from the floor.
Postseason Notes
• This is the 13th time that SDSU has played in the postseason and third time they have played in the WNIT.
• The Aztecs are 3-2 all-time in the WNIT and 1-0 at home.
• SDSU advanced to the 1989 WNIT championship game after wins over Radford (99-92, 2 OT) and Murray State (97-81). The Aztecs lost in the championship game to Oregon 67-64.
• SDSU's last WNIT appearance was 2013 where they beat UC Santa Barbara 69-46 at home before losing at BYU 69-58.
Opponent Notebook (UC Irvine)
• The Anteaters are 24-6 and went 16-2 in the Big West to win the regular season title.
• They are ranked No. 118 in the NET.
• They are 12-2 on the road.
• They allow just 53.3 points per game, ninth in the country.
• They are also in the top 30 nationally in steals per game (22nd, 10.1), free throw percentage (28th, 77.2%) and turnovers forced per game (29th, 19.5).
• Like the Aztecs, they have balanced scoring with six players averaging between 8.0 and 12.0 points per game.
• Hunter Hernandez and Naomi Hunt both average double-digit points.
• They lost to Cal State Bakersfield in the quarterfinals of the Big West tournament 61-59 in double overtime. Prior to that, they had won seven in a row.
• Head coach Tamara Inoue (7th season) was the 2020-21 Big West co-Coach of the Year. She has led the Anteaters to back-to-back 20-win seasons while making the WNIT each year.
All-time Series (UC Irvine)
• San Diego State leads the all-time series 21-8
• SDSU is 9-6 against the Anteaters in San Diego.
• They have played four times since 2017 with the road team winning each game.
• Six of the last seven meetings have been decided by single-digits.
• 19 of their 29 meetings were between 1977 and 1991.
Aztecs Host UC Irvine for First Round WNIT Game Friday
