San Diego State women’s basketball pulled through with an overtime win against Cal State LA, 76-71, on Monday, Dec. 4 to earn their fourth victory at Viejas Arena this season.

The Aztecs (5-4) hosted the Golden Eagles (4-2) as the physical and back-and-forth battle started early and lasted till the final whistle. This game saw 13 lead changes and 10 ties, with only overtime separating the two as the Aztecs took the win.

As the Golden Eagles took the point differential in the first quarter, the Aztecs would answer right back with a great second quarter, limiting the opposition to nine points — this left the teams separated by one point at halftime, a 32-31 Cal State LA lead.

The two teams would then play neck-and-neck for the second half, ending the fourth quarter with a tied score at 66-66.

The Aztecs outscored the Golden Eagles, 10-5, in the overtime period as free throws from Aztecs’ guard Jada Lewis and forward Kim Villalobos stretched the lead to five, closing the game 76-71 for SDSU.

Aztecs’ forward Adryana Quezada was the game’s top performer leading the game in both points (19) and rebounds (10). Quezada also recorded her first double-double of the season.

Aztecs’ guard Abby Prohaska and Villalobos also had great games as they both had double-digit scoring nights. Prohaska had 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Villalobos had 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Aztecs’ guard Khylee Pepe spoke about the team’s performance in overtime.

“We talk about how those things add up,” Pepe said. “We had a couple of missed free throws and a couple of layups, so that’s something we are going to work on as they are going to add up. I think we made the important ones that mattered at the end.”

Pepe also referenced SDSU’s defense in its overtime win against Cal State LA.

“Reminding each other that every single game is about us,” Pepe said. “If we play our game, if we do our defensive principles and lock in on offense, then the game will go our way. That was ugly, but we pulled it out because we did that.”

Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson was pleased with the effort shown by her players in a tough match-up while having a short-staffed roster due to injuries.

“Proud of our kids for pulling it out,” Terry-Hutson said. “This is a tough one; we’re down kids, we have a lot of injuries, some sickness going around. So for us to gut it… it’s a really gutty win and I’m proud of our grit.”

The Aztecs will be on the road for their next game as they visit the University of San Diego on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m.