Aztecs Set to Face New Mexico in Mountain West Quarterfinals

SAN DIEGO – The No. 4 seed San Diego State women’s basketball team faces the No. 5 seed New Mexico in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West tournament Monday at 2:30. This is the fourth straight season the Aztecs and Lobos have squared off in the quarterfinals with SDSU winning the last two meetings. The two teams split their two regular season games with the road team winning each time.

 

Aztec Tidbits

• SDSU has reached the Mountain West tournament semifinals in each of the past two seasons and made the championship game last year, their first time making it since 2013.
• This is considered a “Quad Four” game according to NET rankings. The Aztecs are 19-3 in Quad Four games this season.
• SDSU has won five straight games and eight of their last 10. During their five-game win streak, they are outscoring teams 74.6-58.
• This is the first time the Aztecs have entered the Mountain West tournament with a five-game win streak since 2012-13.
• SDSU has had at least 22 wins and finished in the top four of the Mountain West in each of the past three seasons.
• SDSU is top three in the Mountain West in five defensive statistical categories: three-point percentage allowed (1st, 29.6%), points allowed (2nd, 60.4), field goal percentage allowed (2nd, 38.7%), steals (3^rd, 7.9) and turnovers forced (3rd, 16.1).
• The Aztecs have held their opponent under 40% shooting in 17 games (15-2) and under 60 points 13 times (12-1).
• On the other side of the ball, SDSU is averaging 69.5 points per game, their most since the 1994-95 season.
• The Aztecs lead the Mountain West in made free throws per game (12.7). The Aztecs are 15-1 when they make more free throws than their opponent.
• SDSU is shooting 75.2% from the line, which would be the second-best mark in school history (75.6% last year)
• The Aztecs have had more points in the paint than their opponent in 10 of their last 11 games.
• As of Friday, SDSU’s NET ranking was No. 104, having risen 13 spots during their five-game win streak.
• SDSU is 11th in the nation in bench points per game (28.1). 40.4% 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.
• All five starters average between 7.9 and 11 points per game. SDSU is 17-2 when three or more players score in double-digits.
• The Aztecs are 18-3 when scoring 60 or more points. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, they are 56-10 (.848) when they score 60 or more and 36-6 (.857) when they score 70 or more.
• The Aztecs finished the regular season 10-3 on the road, their best record on the road since 2012-13 (also 10-3).
• 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 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 37-12 (.755) in home games.

 

Player Notes

• Kim Villalobos has played in a school record 150 games.
• Villalobos leads the team in steals (1.4 per game) and collected the 200^th steal of her career in SDSU’s last game. She is averaging 2.2 steals per game over her last five games.
• Villalobos is one of seven players in the nation with at least 1,200 points, 800 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks in her career.
• Villalobos is in the top ten in SDSU history in games (1^st), rebounds (5^th) and blocks (9^th).
• 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.
• Both Villalobos and Quezada were named the Mountain West All-Tournament Team last year.• Veronica Sheffey is averaging 12.6 points per game in conference play. She is shooting 46% from the field and 46% from three (11-for-24).
• Sheffey has scored in double-digits 19 times, the most on the team.
• Sheffey is 59-69 (86%) from the line during conference play, fourth in the Mountain West.
• 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 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 42.4% career three-point percentage is eighth in the nation (minimum 150 made).
• Houpt is shooting 47.8% (32-for-67) from three this season, which would be a school record (minimum 50 attempts).
• Naomi Panganiban and Nat Martinez have both won three Mountain West Freshman of the Week awards, a school record
• The Aztecs have won a conference-best six Mountain West Freshman of the Week awards. Combined with the men’s program, SDSU has won the award 13 times, the next closest is CSU with six.
• Martinez is shooting 43.7% from three on the year.
• 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.
• Meghan Fiso has played in exactly 100 career games.

 

Mountain West Tournament Notes

• The Aztecs are 21-23 all-time in the tournament.
• SDSU is 7-11 in the quarterfinals.
• The Aztecs have won at least one game in three straight tournaments.
• SDSU has made it to the semifinals in each of the last two seasons and made it to the championship game last year for the first time since 2013.
• The Aztecs are 2-0 all-time against the No. 5 seed
• The Aztecs have been knocked out by UNLV, the eventual champion, in each of the last two tournaments.
• This is SDSU’s first time ever being the No. 4 seed. The only other seed the Aztecs have never been is No. 11.

 

Opponent Notebook (New Mexico)

• The Lobos are 18-13 and went 11-7 in conference, tying SDSU for fourth place.
• They have won five of their last six games.
• They are 6-5 away from their home court
• Their NET ranking of No. 156 is sixth in the Mountain West.
• They are second in the Mountain West in scoring (71.0) and rebounding (39.0).
• Destinee Hooks and Viane Cumber both average over 15 points per game. Cumber leads the conference with 82 made threes.
• Head coach Mike Bradbury (9th season) has helped the Lobos win 20 or more games in five of his eight seasons.

 

Series History

• The Lobos lead the all-time series 42-37
• New Mexico’s 42 wins vs. the Aztecs are the most of any SDSU opponent.
• SDSU's 37 wins against the Lobos are their second most against any team.
• SDSU is 5-8 all-time vs the Lobos in the Mountain West Tournament. Their 13 meetings are by far the most times SDSU has faced an opponent in the tournament. Wyoming is second with six meetings.
• The two programs met in each of the last three Mountain West Tournaments with the Aztecs winning the last two. Last year, SDSU upset the Lobos in the quarterfinals when the Aztecs were the No. 7 seed and the Lobos were the No. 2 seed.