Playing from 20 points down is difficult, but the San Diego State women’s basketball team almost turned a 20-point second half deficit into a victory on Tuesday night against the University of Wyoming Cowgirls. But with a minute remaining, Wyoming got two fastbreak lay-ups to go up 67-58 and eventually held on to the lead to beat the Aztecs 69-60.

It was the Play 4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness game and the Aztecs came out wearing bright pink uniforms, contrasted to the fashion faux pas that was the brown Wyoming uniforms with bright pink socks.

Uniforms aside, the shorthanded SDSU team was overrun in the first half, going into the break trailing 35-21 thanks to six three-pointers by the Cowgirls and a dismal 25% field goal percentage, including 0-7 from three-point range. But it was a poor mentality that doomed the Aztecs from the start.

[quote]”We came out really flat in the first half. I thought our first half was a reflection of what’s going on internally,” Head Coach Stacie Terry said.[/quote]

The second half had a similar feel to it until 10:18 left in the second half when freshman forward Alyssa Lawrence hit a layup after SDSU’s press defense forced a Wyoming turnover. Little by little, the Aztecs chipped away at the lead with contributions from senior center Cierra Warren’s inside play and two three-pointers by freshman guard Chloe Johnson.

With 1:42 to go, the Cowgirls lead had been cut to five, but it only took them 36 seconds to score four points and go up 67-58, which helped them close out the game.

[quote]”We were down in the first half spiritually, and we came out in the second half and toward the end we just started pressing and being more aggressive and our freshman started scoring and coming out of their shells and it really helped us get back in the game,” junior forward Khristina Hunter said. Hunter finished with 10 points and seven rebounds along with five assists.[/quote]

Warren finished with 14 points and five rebounds while senior guard Danesha Long had 10 points to go with five rebounds. Wyoming’s junior guard Kaitlyn Mileto led all scorers with 20 points.

The Aztecs, who dropped to 8-13 (5-6 in conference play), next play at the Air Force Academy on Saturday at 1 p.m. MT/noon P.S.T.

Photo by Wesley Beights, Staff Photographer