Let the Madness Begin! Aztecs at LSU Saturday
Women's Basketball

Let the Madness Begin! Aztecs at LSU Saturday

The 14th seeded San Diego State women’s basketball team plays at the No. 3 seed LSU Saturday at 7:15 p.m. PT in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

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Let the Madness Begin! Aztecs at LSU SaturdayLet the Madness Begin! Aztecs at LSU Saturday

SAN DIEGO – The 14th seeded San Diego State women’s basketball team plays at the No. 3 seed LSU Saturday at 7:15 p.m. PT in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

 

Aztec Tidbits

  • This is San Diego State’s 10th NCAA appearance overall and first since 2012.
  • The Aztecs played at LSU the last time they were in the tournament, losing 64-56 in the first round. Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson was on that staff.
  • San Diego State won the Mountain West Tournament as the No. 4 seed, beating the No. 1 seed UNLV in the semis and the No. 2 seed Wyoming in triple overtime in the championship game.
  • This was SDSU’s third Mountain West tournament title (also 2010 & 2012) and fifth conference tournament championship overall (1994 & 1997 in the WAC).
  • San Diego State’s 25 wins are their most since the 2012-13 season (27).
  • SDSU’s 70 victories over the last three seasons match its most in a three-season span in school history (94-96).
  • The Aztecs have won eight games in a row and 11 of their last 13. This is SDSU’s second eight game win streak of the season after they began the season 8-0.
  • During their eight-game win streak, they are outscoring teams by 13.6 points per game 72.4-58.8.
  • SDSU is 15-4 (.789) in road and neutral games. The 15 wins away from home is a program record and their 10 true road wins ties a program best.
  • SDSU is top three in the Mountain West in five defensive statistical categories: 3-point percentage allowed (1st, 29.3%), points allowed (2nd, 60.4), field goal percentage allowed (2nd, 38.3%), turnovers forced (3rd, 16.3) and steals per game (3rd, 8.1).
  • The Aztecs have held their opponent under 40% shooting in 20 games (18-2) and under 60 points 15 times (14-1).
  • On the other side of the ball, SDSU is averaging 69.4 points per game, their most since the 1994-95 season, while shooting 43.6%, their second best in the Mountain West era (since 1999).
  • All five starters average between 7.0 and 12.0 points per game. SDSU is 20-2 when three or more players score in double-digits.
  • The Aztecs are 11th in the nation in bench points per game (27.1). There have been 31 games where a bench player has scored 10+ points off the bench, which is the fifth most in Mountain West history.
  • SDSU has had more points in the paint than their opponent in 13 of their last 14 games. The Aztecs are 18-3 when they win the points in the paint battle.
  • The Aztecs are 21-3 (.875) when scoring 60 or more points. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, they are 59-10 (.855) when they score 60 or more and 38-6 (.864) when they score 70 or more.
  • SDSU has six players in their 4th year or later, five of them in the 5th year or later (Clark, Fiso, Green, Quezada and Villalobos).
  • The Aztecs were one of 21 schools (6%) that didn’t lose any players to the transfer portal in the offseason.
  • SDSU’s free throw percentage of 75.4% is the second best in school history, only trailing last year’s 75.6%.
  • The Aztecs lead the Mountain West in made free throws per game (12.7). The Aztecs are 17-1 when they make more free throws than their opponent.
  • 10 Aztecs average at least 10 minutes per game and 12 different players have scored in double digits.
  • For the second season in a row, SDSU set a program record for attendance.
  • SDSU’s 11 non-conference wins were their most since the 1983-84 team that went 13-0.
  • The Aztecs’ 12-point win was the largest victory over a No. 1 seed in the Mountain West tournament since 2010.
  • SDSU is the first team to beat UNLV twice in a season since 2020-21.
  • The Aztecs forced Wyoming to commit a season-high 25 turnovers in the Mountain West championship game.
  • Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, SDSU is 37-12 (.755) in home games.

 

Player Notes

  • Veronica Sheffey was named to the All-Mountain West Team and the Mountain West Tournament MVP.
  • Sheffey averaged 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game and had just five turnovers in 115 minutes in the tournament.
  • In the championship game, Sheffey had career-high 24 points, six rebounds and five assists and was 9-for-10 from the line while playing 51 minutes. She scored 10 of her 24 points in the overtimes.
  • Since the beginning of MW play, Sheffey is averaging 13.0 points and is 44% from three and 87% from the line (72-for-83).
  • Sheffey has scored in double-digits 21 times, the most on the team.
  • Sheffey became the first player with three different games with 15+ points against UNLV in the same season since 2017-18 (T Moe, Nevada),
  • Kim Villalobos has played in a school record 153 games. In the next game, she will tie Adam Seiko from the SDSU men’s program for most games played by an Aztec regardless of gender.
  • Villalobos leads the team in steals (1.4 per game) and has over 200 in her career.
  • Villalobos is one of nine players in the nation with at least 1,300 points, 800 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks in her career.
  • Villalobos is in the top ten in SDSU history in games (1st), rebounds (5th) and blocks (T-8th).
  • Villalobos has scored in double-digits 16 times, tied for second on the team (Panganiban).
  • Naomi Panganiban was named to the Mountain West All-Freshman Team and to the Mountain West All-Tournament Team.
  • Panganiban averaged 12.3 points in the Mountain West Tournament and scored 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting in 46 minutes in the championship game.
  • Panganiban has scored in double-digits in six of the last eight games.
  • Panganiban was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week three times, tied with Nat Martinez for the school record.
  • Panganiban has scored in double-digits 16 times, tied for second on the team (Villalobos).
  • Adryana Quezada is one of four players nationally to have over 1,600 points & 800 rebounds while shooting at least 50% from the field and 75% from the line.
  • Quezada has scored 10+ points 78 times in her career and 40 times as an Aztec.
  • Cali Clark is fourth in the nation among active players in rebounds per minute in a career (minimum 100 games). She was second in the nation last year.
  • In the Mountain West Championship game, Clark held Wyoming’s Allyson Fertig, the Mountain West Player of the Year, to 6-for-15 shooting and forced her into eight turnovers.
  • In that game, Clark played 49 minutes and became the only Division I player this century to have a conference tournament game with at least 17 rebounds, six steals and three blocks.
  • Clark also became the first Aztec since at least 1999-00 to record at least 10 points, 15 rebounds and 5 steals against a Division I opponent and was the first player in Mountain West history to have a game with at least 15 rebounds, six steals and two blocks.
  • Clark is third in the Mountain West in rebounds and fourth in blocks.
  • In her 109 games at Colorado State, Clark had double-digits rebounds six times and one double-double. This season she has 11 games with 10 or more rebounds and eight double-doubles.
  • 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 shooting 93.0% (174-187) from the line in her career, the second best in the nation (minimum 150 made). She is 41-for-44 (93.2%) this season
  • Houpt’s 42.3% career three-point percentage is eighth in the nation (minimum 150 made).
  • Houpt is shooting 47.1% (32-for-68) from three this season, which would be a school record (minimum 50 attempts).
  • Nat Martinez was named to the Mountain West All-Freshman Team.
  • Martinez was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week three times, tied with Naomi Panganiban for the school record.
  • Martinez is shooting 42.2% from three on the year, which would be fourth best in school history.

 

NCAA Tournament History

  • The Aztecs are 6-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
  • This is their first appearance since 2012 when they lost at LSU as a No. 12 seed 64-56.
  • This is San Diego State’s third time playing in Louisiana. They played at Louisiana Tech in the 1985 Midwest Regional Semifinals.
  • SDSU’s last win in the NCAA Tournament was in 2010 when they went to the Sweet 16 as a No. 11 seed, upsetting No. 6 Texas and No. 3 West Virginia before losing to No. 2 Duke 66-58.
  • The Aztecs also won a game in the tournament the previous year (2009) when they beat No. 7 DePaul as a 10 seed.
  • SDSU’s No. 14 seed is the lowest seed they’ve ever received.

 

Opponent Notebook (LSU)

  • The Tigers are 28-5 and ranked No. 10 in the country.
  • They went 12-4 in the SEC.
  • They are 17-1 at home.
  • They are the only team in the nation with three players with over 500 points on the season (Flau’Jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams).
  • Morrow leads the nation in rebounding.
  • Head coach Kim Mulkey is in her fourth season at LSU. She has over 700 career victories and has won three national championships.
  • This is just the second meeting all-time with LSU with both meetings occurring in the NCAA tournament.