Don’t tell San Diego State women’s basketball head coach Beth Burns and her coaching staff every game doesn’t count. Hours after losing to Stephen F. Austin on Friday, Burns and staff were watching video of the University of North Texas until the wee hours of the morning.
The long hours paid off when SDSU (1-1) defeated UNT 64-40 in the consolation game of the Dr. Pepper Lady Bear Tournament in Waco, Texas, on Saturday.
“There is a method to our madness,” Burns said. “I was real pleased we made adjustments because it’s hard to prepare in less than 24 hours.”
All-tournament forward/guard Jodi Nowlin-Tres led the Aztecs with 12 points and three steals. Olivia DiCamilli and Texas native Deidra Rucker scored 10 each, and center Atiya Williams scored eight points and added four blocked shots.
“We did a good job getting out on our lanes and getting some easy buckets,” Burns said. “It took some pressure off ourselves.”
SDSU put pressure on the Eagles, playing relentless defense and holding North Texas (0-2) to only 19 points in the first half. UNT shot only 26 percent from the field for the game.
“It’s all part of our defensive game,” DiCamilli said. “We scouted them (the night before) and knew every one of their offensive and out-of-bounds plays. It’s our job to shut them down on defense.”
The red and black also dominated on the boards, out-rebounding North Texas 48-28. DiCamilli led SDSU with nine rebounds, and Nowlin-Tres pulled down eight.
“We knew we had to box them out because they are a scrappy team,” DiCamilli said. “If you don’t box out a team like that, they will run around and scrap for a bunch of rebounds. That was our main point box out and keep them off the glass.”
Friday night was not as fun for SDSU; it lost to Stephen F. Austin 67-62 in the first game of the tournament. The Ladyjacks (2-0) entered the game ranked No. 24 in the nation and played that way in the first half, taking a 41-33 lead into halftime.
“We had some unforced errors in the first half that came back to haunt us,” Burns said. “We made poor decisions and gave them easy shots and were forced to play catch-up the rest of the way.”
SFA’s Katrina Price led all scorers with 20 points, and teammate Christie Smith scored 13. Guard Latrica Johnson scored only two points, but chipped in with six assists.
SDSU was again led by Nowlin-Tres, who scored 14 points in a losing effort. Point guard Sandy Wright finished with six points and 10 assists.
“SFA didn’t do anything that we didn’t expect,” Burns said. “They just did it better then we did.”
USD tonight
The Aztecs host the University of San Diego at 7 tonight in Peterson Gym. It’s SDSU’s home opener and will mark the return of former Aztec Lakeysha Wright, who is an assistant for the Torreros. USD boasts a powerful backcourt duo of guards Nailah Thompson and Kari Ambrose. Thompson averaged 12.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, and Ambrose averaged 9.3 points and 3.2 assists per game.
