LAS VEGAS – The Aztec women's basketball team (23-9) takes on No. 21/24 UNLV, the No. 1 seed and defending champs, in the Mountain West Tournament semifinals Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Aztec Tidbits
• SDSU defeated New Mexico 69-68 in the quarterfinals Monday, taking their first and only lead with 47 seconds remaining.
• The Aztecs, who finished with six players in double-digits, trailed by as much as nine points. It was the first time in Mountain West history that six players scored double digits in a conference tourney game.
• SDSU lost both of their meetings with UNLV by six points. They are one of just two Mountain West teams (CSU) to lose to the Rebels by single-digits in both meetings.
• UNLV is ranked No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 24 in the WBCA Coaches poll and their 20-game winning streak is the second longest in the nation.
• The Aztecs' last regular season win against a ranked team was Nov. 18, 2011 vs. No. 18/18 DePaul in Hawai'i.
• SDSU allows 56.9 points per game (27th in the nation) while UNLV averages 77.5 points per game (20th in the nation).
• The Aztecs' 23 wins and third place finish are their best since the 2012-13 season.
• Defensively, SDSU is first in the MW in points allowed (56.9) and 3-point % defense (.281) and 2nd in steals per game (9.6).
• On offense, the Aztecs have a three-point percentage of 35.8%, the second best in school history and 27th in the nation.
• 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 48.8% is their best in the Mountain West era (1999-2023).
• The Aztecs have five players averaging between 8.5 and 12.0 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.
• Sophia Ramos is the only player in the nation with at least 1,900 points, 600 rebounds and 500 assists in her career.
• 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 third in the nation, & 41.3 percent during her SDSU career, both are the best in program history.
• Asia Avinger is one of 12 players in the nation to average at least 12.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Of those 12 players, she has the highest field goal percentage (49.2%)
• SDSU has held an opponent to their lowest point total of the year nine times.
• SDSU is 18-2 when scoring 60 or more points and 18-0 when their opponent is held under 60.
• In their 32 games, SDSU has had fewer turnovers than their opponent 24 times.
• SDSU has had more steals than their opponent in all but seven games and their 9.6 swipes per game is 38th in the country.
• 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.
• SDSU went 15-2 at home this season, their best home record since 2011-12. They have an average margin of victory of 16.3 points at home this year.
• The Aztecs' 10-3 non-conference winning percentage was their best since the 1995-96 season (10-2, .833). According to the NET, SDSU played the second-hardest non-conference schedule in the Mountain West.
• 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.) was second in the Mountain West in steals per game (2.4) in conference play.
• 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.) has scored in double-digits in 10of the last 12 games. She is second on the team in games with double-digit points (18).
• 44.6% of Khylee Pepe's (Long Beach, Calif.) rebounds are on the offensive end, by far the most on the team.
• Abby Prohaska (Liberty Township, Ohio) scored 10 points in just 15 points vs. New Mexico
• Sophia Ramos (San Antonio, Texas) has 112 career games scoring in double-digits.
• Mercedes Staples (Centerville, Utah) has eight games this season with at least four made threes.
• Kim Villalobos (Los Angeles) surpassed 600 points for her career vs. New Mexico Monday.
Opponent Notebook (UNLV)
• The Rebels are 29-2 on the year and went a perfect 18-0 in the Mountain West.
• They are ranked No. 21 and No. 24 in this week's national polls and No. 51 in the NET.
• They have won 20 games in a row.
• They are 17-0 at home.
• They beat Nevada, the No. 8 seed, 84-47 in the quarterfinals Monday.
• Last year they went 26-7 and were the Mountain West regular season and tournament champions. They lost to Arizona 72-67 in the first round of the NCAA Championship.
• They score 77.5 points per game, the most in the Mountain West
• They also lead the conference in assists per game (15.5) and rebound margin (+7.9).
• Desi-Rae Young, the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year averages 17.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. She shoots 59.9 percent from the floor, which is 12th in the nation.
• Head coach Lindy La Rocque (3rd season) is the second youngest coach in DI women's basketball. She has helped the Rebels set a school record for wins in a season in back-to-back years.
All-time Series (UNLV)
• The Rebels lead the all-time series 37-29.
• SDSU is 10-24 against the Rebels at UNLV.
• UNLV has won the last six meetings and 11 of the last 12.
• Six of the last seven meetings have been decided by single-digits.
• The Aztecs' 66 meetings with UNLV is their second most, only trailing New Mexico (74).
• Their first meeting was Feb. 2, 1979, a 78-58 UNLV win in Las Vegas.
Mountain West Tournament Notes
• The Aztecs are 18-21 all-time in the Mountain West tournament.
• SDSU is 5-1 all-time in the semifinals.
• This is the first time the Aztecs have been the No. 5 seed.
• SDSU is 1-0 all-time against UNLV in the Mountain West tournament.
• The Aztecs are 0-3 all-time against the No. 1 seed.
Aztecs Take on No. 21/24 UNLV in the Semifinals
