The San Diego State women’s basketball team improved to 2-2 on the season after defeating the Sacramento State Hornets 68-46 in Sacramento on Saturday, Nov. 18
Sacramento State scored first, but soon after SDSU got on the board with a layup by forward Adryana Quezada to quickly tie the game 2-2. The Aztecs then jumped out to an 8-2 lead after guard Abby Prohaska hit the team’s first 3-pointer of the game.
The Aztecs were able to hold the lead by the end of the first quarter, 19-11. Prohaska led the team in scoring at the time with eight points while guard Alyssa Jackson led the team in rebounds with five. SDSU shot 47% from the field while the Hornets shot 38.5%.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Aztecs kept the momentum going after a 3-pointer by guard Jada Lewis. However, the Hornets began to lock down the SDSU offense as the team began to struggle with their shots.
In response, Sacramento State began to chip away at the lead behind forward Summah Hansen. Hansen scored eight points for the Hornets in the second quarter and went 2-for-2 behind the 3-point line. SDSU led at halftime 31-27.
At the half, the Aztecs shot 39% and went 3-for-12 behind the 3-point line. They grabbed 15 rebounds but committed eight turnovers. The Hornets shot 46% and went 5-for-13 from behind the arc, with four of them coming in the second period. They managed to grab 17 rebounds but committed 13 turnovers.
At the start of the third, Sacramento cut the lead to three after a 3-pointer by guard Irune Orio. The Aztecs quickly went on 7-0 run to extend lead 40-30, a run that included a stepback 3-point made by guard Sarah Barcello.
SDSU began to run away with the game in the middle of the period, they forced eight personal fouls and went 9-for-11 from the free throw line. Barcello and Prohaska both led the team in scoring in the third quarter, with eight points each. The Hornets only managed to score five points in the period and shot 20% from the field.
By the end of the quarter, Sacramento had committed 7 turnovers to SDSU’s one. The Aztecs led 55-32 and shot 39% from but only made one 3-point shot. The Hornets were shut out from behind the arc after the initial three by Orio at the start of the period and did not have any free throw attempts.
In the fourth quarter, the Hornets failed to chip away at the lead as the Aztecs began to use all of the shot clock during their possessions. Sacramento State managed to get 10 free throw attempts in the period, but only made five of them.
The Aztecs missed all four of their 3-point attempts, but still scored 13 points in the quarter. With three minutes left in the game, SDSU pulled their starters and the Aztecs went on to win 68-45.
Prohaska led the team in scoring with 20 points and went 2-for-3 behind the 3-point line. SDSU head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson spoke highly of Prohaska after the game.
“Abby does everything we need,” Terry-Hutson told reporters after the game. “She’s our best communicator, our best defender and now running the show [as a point guard] for us.”
Quezada also had a good game with 19 points, her highest output of the season. Hansen led Sacramento State in scoring with 19 points.
The Aztecs next game is against Westcliff at Viejas Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m.
