LAS VEGAS – The San Diego State women’s basketball team (23-9) beat New Mexico (18-14) 63-53 in the Mountain West quarterfinals Monday afternoon for their sixth win in a row. The game was tied at the half, but the momentum shifted to SDSU’s side in the third quarter when they outscored the Lobos 18-5.
The Aztecs advance to play the No. 1 seed UNLV in the semifinals Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. This will be the third straight year the Rebels and SDSU meet in the tournament and the third straight year the Aztecs have made it to the semifinals.
“I’m excited for our team,” Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said after the game. “We knew this was going to be a battle, and I thought New Mexico came out and out toughed us. I was proud of how we responded though. We knew we had to defend a whole heck of a lot better if we were going to give ourselves a chance to win. We were able to create some stops and got some momentum on offense. I’m proud of our effort and looking forward to tomorrow.”
The Aztecs had balanced scoring with five players scoring between eight and 12 points. SDSU’s post quartet of Adryana Quezada, Kim Villalobos, Cali Clark and Jazlen Green combined for 43 points on 18-for-30 (60%) shooting.
SDSU scored 40 points in the paint and had 27 off the bench.
The teams traded 8-2 runs to begin the game and then the Lobos grabbed a 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter with all 15 of SDSU’s points coming from post players.
The Aztecs fell behind by as much as eight points midway through the second quarter but then went on a 7-0 run to pull within a point before eventually tying it up at the halfway mark.
SDSU played suffocating defense in the third quarter, holding the Lobos to two made field goals while forcing seven turnovers. The Aztecs scored the first 12 points and ended up outscoring New Mexico 18-5 in the pivotal third quarter.
STAT OF THE GAME
The Aztecs held Viane Cumber, an all-conference selection, to 1-for-10 shooting and two points.
THE NOTE
The five New Mexico points in the third quarter tied SDSU’s fewest points allowed in a quarter in a Mountain West tournament game.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs play No. 1 seed UNLV Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Mountain West tournament semifinals.