After playing back-to-back overtime games for just the second time in program history, the San Diego State women’s basketball team came out looking to leave no doubt.

Though there was a wobble in the fourth quarter, the Aztecs kept their composure to close out the Fresno State Bulldogs 77-70 on Sunday afternoon at Viejas Arena in a game that was nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.

“We got on ‘em pretty good after the Air Force loss, we watched some film and I told them that I was disappointed, and to be honest, embarrassed because we normally don’t put forth that effort — or lack thereof,” said head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson.

“I thought our kids played really, really hard (today). We were down one of our important pieces, and we stepped up and played for each other.”

SDSU (11-5, 2-1 Mountain West) built a lead as big as 18 points in the third quarter, then hit enough free throws down the stretch to hold off a furious rally in the final 10 minutes by Fresno State (9-7, 2-1).

Kim Villalobos recorded a double-double for the second straight game, scoring an SDSU-best 18 points while snaring 13 rebounds. Sarah Barcello had her finest offensive performance in Scarlet and Black, scoring 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting that included a pair of key 3-pointers which helped the Aztecs build out their lead.

“They definitely were collapsing on our bigs, so I was trying to move without the ball,” Barcello said. “My teammates did a phenomenal job finding me and giving me the second chances when I would maybe miss the first one.”

Adryana Quezada also scored 18 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and led SDSU with 4 assists.

San Diego State played the game without Abby Prohaska, who was not with the team and was still being evaluated after taking a knock against Air Force. Alyssa Jackson started for the second time this season and finished with 6 points and 2 rebounds in 18 minutes of action.

While being out-sized by opposing forwards was nothing new for the Aztecs, they out-rebounded the visitors 42-32 and had a 10-5 advantage in second chance points against a Fresno State team that had five forwards standing 6-foot or taller.

“We shared the ball well, we turned down good shots for great shots,” Terry-Hutson said. “There were no egos, we knew that going inside was the best option for us today. We got the ball inside and they are willing passers.”

It was the second-straight game that SDSU had an advantage of 10 or more on the glass and the third time this season they outrebounded an opponent by that margin.

The Aztecs have outrebounded opponents by an average of 10 per game in Mountain West play, with an average of 45.3 boards per game in conference.

“It’s just heart — we just talked about the rebounding piece, you know, we’re undersized and we’re going to be undersized almost every game,” Terry-Hutson said. “You can’t underestimate the heart of a champion. I know that’s cliché, but that’s what we’ve been talking about. We just have to play like champions all the time.”

Barcello scored 12 of her 14 in the first half, which SDSU played to a 41-36 advantage at the break.

“I definitely have a lot of room to grow — we have a lot of season left, so I just want to keep building on that,” Barcello said. “Kind of reminds me of my undergrad seasons and just having those bigger roles. So I was just ready for the opportunity when I was given it.”

The Scarlet and Black made their move in the third quarter, going on an 8-3 run over the first 98 seconds and then stretching the lead out to 18 with a 14-3 run from the 7:51 mark to 2:21. After 30 minutes, SDSU had a 65-47 advantage.

Despite having just two stretches where they missed three straight shots before the fourth quarter, the Aztecs made only 1 of 9 from the field in the final frame and 10 of 18 free throws to leave the door open for Fresno State.

The Bulldogs pulled to within a possession at 73-70 with 30 seconds remaining when guard Deajane Harvey — who tied for the game-high with fellow Fresno State guard Taija Sta. Maria by scoring 19 points — knocked down a pair of free throws.

SDSU held the visitors the rest of the way and iced it with free throws by Villalobos, Meghan Fiso and Quezada.

“Typically we’re a good free throw shooting team,” Terry-Hutson said. “This is abnormal for us to miss 12. So, I just think it’s a great opportunity for us to grow.”

The win moved the Aztecs into a tie for third place in the Mountain West with Fresno State.

Defending champion UNLV is in second with a 2-0 conference mark, while Wyoming, who the Aztecs will face on Wednesday, sits in first place with a 3-0 record.

The Cowgirls are coming off back-to-back road wins over Utah State and Air Force, and opened conference play with a home result against Boise State.

Preseason All-Mountain West selection, 6-foot-4 center Allyson Fertig is averaging 13.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Last year’s Mountain West Freshman of the Year guard Malene Pedersen has added 10.1 points per game.

SDSU faces Wyoming at Arena-Auditorium for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday, Jan. 10. The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.

“We’re getting challenged early, so I’m just hoping that we can grow and continue to get better,” Terry-Hutson said. “And we can hopefully sneak some of these on the road.”