In the final game of the season in Viejas Arena, the San Diego State Aztecs (13-13, 7-8 Mountain West Conference) beat the Fresno State Bulldogs (9-16, 5-9 MWC) in a dominant 77-69 win.
Although some of the seniors will be able to return and play due to an extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19, the night was an emotional one for the seniors who will play their last game in Viejas Arena. The game started off with head coach Stacy Terry-Hutson placing all of her seniors in the starting lineup.
The Aztecs were looking to build on the success they had against San Jose State. They played a physical game against a team with a lot of talent and a bright future.
“You have two young ladies on that other team that are outstanding ballplayers, and we tried to make it tough on them,” Terry-Hutson said, describing why her team was successful against the Bulldogs. “I’m really proud of the defensive effort, they’re good players and they made big shots, but we were able to answer their runs with shots of our own.”
During the game, the Aztecs were taking good shots and making them as they shot at 50 percent from the field. Senior Mercedes Staples had a monster night as she scored 21 points while going 80 percent from the field and 83 percent from the 3-point line.
“You know we are going to just work hard these next two weeks, and focus on our next game, because like coach says ‘the next game is our most important,’ so we are going to focus on these next three that we got, and head into the Mountain West tournament with a couple more dubs,” Staples said, when asked what to expect from her team down the final stretch of the season.
Following this win, the Aztecs will finish their final three games on the road. On Feb. 24, the Aztecs will be looking to beat Colorado State (17-7, 8-6 in Mountain West) for the second time this season.
Currently, the Aztecs are seventh in the Mountain West standings and hope to win their last three games to boost their position going into the Mountain West Conference tournament in Las Vegas.
