SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State women’s basketball team hosts Cal State San Marcos Saturday at 3 p.m. for their season opener. The game will be broadcast locally on KUSI and simulcast on the Mountain West Network.
Aztec Tidbits
- San Diego State went 25-10 last year and won the Mountain West Tournament championship to advance to their first NCAA Tournament since 2012. Prior to Saturday’s game, their championship banner will be unveiled and the team will receive their rings.
- The Aztecs’ 25 wins last year was their most since the 2012-13 season (27).
- SDSU was picked to finish second in the Mountain West Preseason poll, their highest preseason selection since the 2012-13 season.
- The Aztecs have 70 wins over the past three seasons, tied for the most in a three-year span in program history (1994-96).
- SDSU lost to No. 3/4 UCLA 77-53 in their season opener in Anaheim on Monday.
- The Aztecs shot 40 percent from three, while making 10 threes. SDSU only had four games accomplishing that last year.
- SDSU committed just 10 turnovers vs. UCLA. Last year only six Bruin opponents committed 10 or less turnovers in a game.
- The Aztecs displayed their depth, playing 11 players in the first half.
- SDSU scored 68.8 points per game last year, their highest average in 30 years. They also had their best field goal percentage in 15 years.
- The Aztecs had 15 wins away from home last year, a school record. They also had 10 true road wins, which tied the program best.
- SDSU won 11 non-conference games last year, their most since the 1983-84 season.
- This is the first time in program history that SDSU doesn’t return a single scholarship upperclassman.
- The Aztecs have seven newcomers this year, the most ever under head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson (13th season). They added five transfers with four of them coming from Mountain West schools.
- Last year, SDSU held their opponent under 40% shooting in 20 games (18-2) and under 60 points 15 times (14-1).
- The Aztecs went 21-3 (.875) last year 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 set a program record for attendance in each of the past two seasons.
- Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, SDSU is 37-12 (.755) in home games.
Player Notes
Naomi Panganiban (Sophomore, Guard, San Diego, Calif.)
- Naomi Panganiban tied a career-high with five assists vs. UCLA Monday.
- She was named to the preseason All-Mountain West Team.
- Last year, she was named to the Mountain West All-Freshman Team and to the Mountain West All-Tournament Team.
- Her 10.3 points per game led all MW true freshmen last season.
- She 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.
- She was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week three times, tied with Nat Martinez for the school record.
- Panganiban scored in double-digits 16 times, tied for the second most on the team.
- Playing for the Philippine National Team at the FIBA Asia Cup, she tied for the team lead in scoring (13.2 ppg) despite being the youngest on the team.
- The Philippines clinched a spot in the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament for the first time ever
Nat Martinez (Sophomore, Guard, San Leandro, Calif.)
- Nat Martinez was also named to the Mountain West All-Freshman Team a year ago.
- She shot 41.9% from three last year, the fifth best in a single season in program history.
- She was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week three times, tied with Naomi Panganiban for the school record.
Nala Williams (Senior, Guard, Long Beach, Calif.)
- Last year at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Nala Williams was named the DII National Player of the Year and the National Defensive Player of the Year.
- She helped her school go 36-2 and make the national title game.
- She had 152 steals last year (4.0/game), which was the most in the nation across all divisions. No one else had more than 140 steals and only three other players had 130 or more.
- She has 304 career steals entering the season, the third most in the nation across all divisions among active players.
- In her career, she has 1,501 points, 506 rebounds, 339 assists and 304 steals in 93 games.
- She has scored in double-digits in 74 of her 93 career games and has scored 20 or more 29 times. Her career-high is 42.
- She shot a career-best 40% from three last year and made 76 three-pointers.
CJ Latta (Sophomore, Guard, Paul, Idaho)
- CJ Latta made 26 starts as a freshman at Utah State last year.
- Her 9.1 points per game were the third most in the Mountain West by a true freshman, trailing only current teammate Naomi Panganiban (10.3) and former USU teammate Taliyah Logwood (9.7).
- She led the Aggies in three-pointers (56), assists (2.3), and assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.28).
- She ranked third all-time at USU with six games of 15 points or more as a freshman.
Kaelyn Hamilton (Sophomore, Guard, McKinney, Texas)
- Kaelyn Hamilton tied a career-high with 11 points vs. UCLA Monday.
- She also set new career-highs for made field goals (4) and made threes (3).
Kendall Mosley (Freshman, Guard, Prosper, Texas)
- Kendall Mosley was named the preseason Mountain West Freshman of the Year.
- She was the 2024-25 6A MVP in Texas.
- She was named the District 5-6A Offensive MVP each of the last two years.
Opponent Notebook (Cal State San Marcos)
- The Cougars went 8-20 last year and 8-14 in the CCAA.
- They played Nevada Monday 70-53. They were led by Tatum Tamashiro’s 10 points.
- Their game against Nevada and Saturdays against the Aztecs counts as an exhibition.
- Head coach Jana Pearson is in her second year. She came from Westmont College where she was an assistant for three years.
- The Cougars and Aztecs have only played once before. SDSU won 76-48 in their season opener last year, forcing 28 turnovers.