After an 0-4 start with three close losses, a win finally came for the San Diego State women’s basketball team. The Aztecs defeated the University of California, Santa Barbara 71-67 on its home court, The Thunderdome, last Saturday. It was Stacie Terry’s first win as head coach.
SDSU was boosted by the strong performance of senior center Cierra Warren, who finished with 21 points and seven rebounds. But it wasn’t just Warren who came up big; the Aztecs had four players who finished in double figures, a display of “good team basketball” that Terry had stressed in previous games.
That essence of team couldn’t have been more pronounced, as three of the four players in double figures for the Aztecs came off the bench. Also in the Aztecs favor, a stunning display of shooting as SDSU shot an unreal 65.9 percent on 27-41 shooting. That, combined with limiting its opponent to only 10 second-chance points and eight offensive rebounds, both season-lows, ensured that the pieces were in place for SDSU to come out on top.
A close game throughout, SDSU was never in any danger of suffering the same fate it did against No. 19/14 University of South Carolina, who beat the team the previous Saturday by a lopsided 34 points. There were 16 lead changes and seven ties in this game with 11 of those changes coming in the first half.
The Aztecs went on a 8-0 run midway through the first half to take a 26-18 lead, but the Gauchos wouldn’t lie down as they responded with an 11-2 run to take a 29-28 lead on their way to a 39-33 halftime lead.
Right out of the gate in the second half, senior guard Nicole Nesbit’s 3-pointer gave UCSB a nine-point advantage, but it would be their largest lead.
Sophomore forward Deidra Smith’s two field goals during a minute-and-a-half stretch helped pull the Aztecs to within four points of the Gauchos as the game got even closer.
But SDSU was not about to start 0-5 and they took the lead for good with 11:24 remaining in the game when Warren’s jump shot went in for a 52-51 lead. Down the stretch, it was a steady stream of defense, field goals and free throws in the second half that earned the Aztecs their first victory of the season.
Off the bench, Smith scored 12 points, freshman guard Ariell Bostick scored 11 points and sophomore guard Deajanae Scurry put up 10 points with six rebounds. The Aztecs next game doesn’t get easier as they will travel to College Station, Texas tomorrow at 7 p.m. CST, for a showdown with No. 12/11 Texas A&M University.
