SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State women’s basketball team plays at Air Force Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. PT, their final road game of the regular season.
Aztec Tidbits
- SDSU is coming off an 82-60 win at San Jose State Saturday.
- The Aztecs have won three straight games, all of which have been by 15 or more points. That’s the first time SDSU has done that in Mountain West play since 2012-13.
- Against San Jose State, the Aztecs were 24-for-26 (92.3%) from the free throw line, their best free throw percentage in a game while making at least 20 free throws in the Mountain West era (26 years).
- That raised SDSU’s season free throw percentage to 75.3%, which is the second best in school history. The Aztecs set the record last year (75.6%).
- With two games to play, SDSU is 9-7 in MW play and in 5th place. The top five teams receive a first-round bye.
- The Aztecs are 9-3 on the road. Their nine road wins are SDSU’s most in a season since 2012-13 (10). Their road win percentage (.750) would be their highest since the 1996-97 season.
- SDSU is top three in the Mountain West in four defensive statistical categories: three-point percentage allowed (1st, 29.0%), field goal percentage allowed (2nd, 38.8%), points allowed per game (2nd, 60.3) and turnovers forced per game (3rd, 16.5).
- The Aztecs have held their opponent under 60 points 13 times (12-1) and under 40% shooting in 15 games (13-2).
- On the other side of the ball, SDSU is averaging 69.4 points per game, their most since the 1994-95 season.
- The Aztecs lead the Mountain West in made free throws per game (12.5). The Aztecs are 13-1 when they make more free throws than their opponent.
- As of Monday, SDSU’s NET ranking was No. 106, their highest since January 18.
- SDSU is 11th in the nation in bench points per game (28.3). 40.8% of the Aztecs scoring comes from their bench.
- 10 Aztecs average at least 10 minutes per game and 12 different players have scored in double digits.
- Five Aztecs average between eight and 11 points per game. SDSU is 16-2 when three or more players score in double-digits.
- The Aztecs are 16-3 when scoring 60 or more points. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, they are 54-10 (.844) when they score 60 or more and 35-6 (.854) when they score 70 or more.
- SDSU’s 11 non-conference wins were their most since the 1983-84 team that went 13-0.
- The Aztecs have six players in their 4th year or later, five of them in the 5th year or later (Clark, Fiso, Green, Quezada and Villalobos).
- SDSU was one of 21 schools (6%) that didn’t lose any players to the transfer portal in the offseason.
- The Aztecs began the season 8-0, their best start since the 1988-89 season when SDSU started 14-0.
- Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, SDSU is 36-12 (.750) in home games.
Player Notes
- Naomi Panganiban won her third Mountain West Freshman of the Week award after averaging 13.0 points on 53% shooting last week.
- Nat Martinez has won the award three times as well. The Aztecs have won a conference-best six MW FOTW awards. Combined with the men’s program, SDSU has won the award 13 times, the next closest is CSU with six.
- Martinez was predicted to win Mountain West Freshman of the Year by CBS Sports’ Kelly Burke.
- Martinez is shooting 45.1% from three on the year.
- Kaelyn Hamilton set career highs with 11 points and seven rebounds at San Jose State Saturday.
- Kim Villalobos has played in a school record 148 games.
- Villalobos grabbed her 800th career rebound at San Jose State Saturday, and she is two points away from passing SDSU legend Tina Hutchinson (1,256 points) on the all-time scoring list. Hutchinson held the NCAA scoring record for freshmen for 40 years until USC’s Juju Watkins broke it last year.
- Villalobos is one of nine players in the nation with at least 1,200 points, 750 rebounds, 200 assists, 175 steals and 100 blocks in her career.
- Villalobos is in the top ten in SDSU history in games, rebounds and blocks.
- Veronica Sheffey is averaging 12.6 points per game in conference play. She is shooting 46% from the field and 48% from three (11-for-23).
- Sheffey has scored in double-digits 17 times, the most on the team.
- Sheffey is 52-60 (87%) from the line during conference play, fourth in the Mountain West.
- Sheffey had three blocks at San Jose State Saturday, her most as an Aztec.
- Adryana Quezada is one of four players nationally to have over 1,500 points & 700 rebounds while shooting at least 50% from the field and 75% from the line.
- Quezada is three points away from 1,600 and six rebounds away from 800 in her career.
- Erin Houpt is the only player in the nation to shoot at least 40% from three and 90% from the line in her career.
- Houpt is 92.9% (169-182) from the line in her career, the second best in the nation (minimum 150 made).
- Houpt’s 42.3% career three-point percentage is eighth in the nation (minimum 150 made).
- Houpt is shooting 47.6% (30-for-63) from three this season, which would be a school record (minimum 50 attempts).
- Cali Clark is fourth in the nation among active players in rebounds per minute (minimum 100 games). She was second in the nation last year.
- In Clark’s 109 games at Colorado State, she had double-digits rebounds six times and one double-double. This season she has 10 games with 10 or more rebounds and seven double-doubles.
- Clark is third in the Mountain West in rebounds and fourth in blocks.
Opponent Notebook (Air Force)
- The Spartans are 16-11 on the year and 6-9 in conference play, tied for seventh.
- They are 9-4 at home.
- They lead the conference in steals per game (10.9) and turnover margin (+5.8).
- Milahnie Perry leads the Falcons with 15.5 points per game.
- Madison Smith leads the Mountain West with 2.5 steals per game.
- Head coach Stacy McIntyre is in her first year as Air Force’s head coach. She had been an assistant at Air Force for the previous nine seasons.
Series History
- The Aztecs lead the all-time series 39-16. This is their first and lone regular season meeting this season.
- SDSU’s 39 wins vs. the Falcons are their most vs. any program.
- The Aztecs are 16-8 at Air Force and have lost their last four games there.
- Air Force has won five of the last seven meetings.