LARAMIE, Wyo. – After a slow start, the San Diego State women’s basketball team (10-3, 4-0) raced past Wyoming (4-9, 1-3) 72-55 to earn their sixth straight win and improve to a perfect 4-0 in Mountain West play.
The Aztecs trailed by five points at the end of the first quarter but would then outscore the Cowgirls 40-16 across the second and third quarters.
“We were able to correct some of the mistakes we made early on, and we did a great job defending in the second half,” Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said after the game.
The Aztecs were led by a career-day from sophomore forward Bailey Barnhard who poured in 21 points on 10-for-14 shooting.
“Bailey did a great job getting the ball in places where she could be successful,” Terry-Hutson praised. “Today’s performance is no surprise to anybody in our program. We all know how good she can be.”
Naomi Panganiban added 13 points including a buzzer-beating three at the end of the third quarter. All 11 Aztecs who played meaningful minutes scored.
An early 10-0 run by the Cowgirls gave Wyoming an early lead. They would hold a lead until late in the second quarter when a 16-7 Aztec run gave them a two-point lead at the halftime break. Barnhard scored 13 of her 21 points in the opening half.
The Aztecs dominated the third quarter, outscoring Wyoming 22-5 and finishing on a 16-1 run.
SDSU finished the game shooting 51 percent from the field and 47 percent from three. They also outrebounded the Cowgirls 36-30 and held an 18-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
Melene Pedersen and Henna Sandvik led Wyoming with 17 points each.
STAT OF THE GAME I
The Aztecs scored 40 points in the paint, their most vs. a DI opponent this year.
STAT OF THE GAME II
Wyoming scored 24 points in the first quarter but then SDSU held the Cowgirls to 20 points in the entire second half.
THE NOTE I
This was just SDSU’s second win in Laramie in the last ten years and their biggest win at Wyoming since 1994 (22 points).
THE NOTE II
This is the second straight season the Aztecs have won at least 10 of their first 13 games.
UP NEXT
SDSU hosts Grand Canyon Wednesday at 6 p.m.