SAN DIEGO – The Aztec women's basketball team (15-9, 6-5) rallied to beat New Mexico (16-8, 7-4) 60-53 Wednesday afternoon in front of 4,206 fans for Field Trip Day, SDSU's largest crowd of the season. The Aztecs have now won four of their last five games.
SDSU trailed by as much as nine points late in the third quarter but outscored the Lobos 28-12 over the final 11 minutes to complete the comeback.
"What a great game," Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said after the game. "I was proud of our defense throughout the game. We were really focused on not getting them a lot of opportunities from three and we made it hard on them from the perimeter."
The Aztecs were led by Kim Villalobos who recorded her fifth double-double of conference play with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jada Lewis finished with 13 points, including eight in the fourth quarter.
The Aztecs trailed for most of the first half but had an 8-0 run late in the second quarter, aided by six points from Villalobos to take a three-point lead entering the halftime break.
The Lobos went on a 19-5 run in the third quarter with four three-pointers to grab a nine-point lead. SDSU was outscored 22-13 in the third.
The Aztecs scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to retake the lead. Both teams then traded buckets until the final two minutes when the Aztecs went on a 10-0 run, which was sparked by forcing the Lobos into tough shots.
"I saw a change in the fourth quarter. Our body language was significantly different and our come back was completely player led. They were calling the plays on both ends of the floor," Terry-Hutson said after the fourth quarter comeback.
The Aztecs forced 17 turnovers and outscored the Lobos 22-9 in points off turnovers.
STAT OF THE GAME
The Aztecs held the Lobos to single digits in both the second and fourth quarter.
THE NOTE I
Jazlen Green, a transfer from Cal who joined the team at the semester break, made her SDSU debut. She played 17 minutes and scored four points.
THE NOTE II
The game featured 14 lead changes and four ties.
QUOTE OF THE GAME
"We have a wonderful crowd today. I love having these games. This was a great opportunity to play in front of so much of the community and it was a fun game for them to see live. It's a real home court advantage when we have that many fans in the stands." Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson
UP NEXT
The Aztecs play at San Jose State Saturday at 2 p.m.
Aztecs Rally to Beat New Mexico 60-53
