After a strong playoff push last season, Aztecs women’s basketball is riding high with motivation, off to their best start since the 1988-89 season. It’s clear the team wants to get back to the Mountain West championship and win it all this time.
“I give a lot of credit to the vets here,” freshman guard Naomi Panganiban said. “They’ve welcomed the four freshmen with open arms and just gave us a lot of confidence and the coaching staff as well to just keep going. We know how capable and talented we are this year.”
They kicked off the year with a resounding eight-game win streak, landing them the No. 1 seed in the MW division. However, they suffered their first loss to a physical Providence team by one point, with two late game free-throws from the Friars. This was the final game of the Cancun Challenge, resulting in a strong 2-1 record to finish the weekend.
SDSU also welcomed back Justin Hutson, husband of head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson, as a new assistant coach and scouting specialist for their group. He was the head coach of Fresno State’s men’s basketball team for the last six seasons and an assistant coach for the Aztecs men’s basketball program from 2006-11 and 2013-18.
Despite already making a historic start to the season, the Aztecs got right back to breaking records as they returned home on Friday. They took on Bethesda in their annual Field Trip Game, where children from 60 local elementary schools showed out and supported their team.
SDSU recorded 6,905 fans in attendance, making this the most fans at an Aztecs women’s basketball game ever. Clearly the support played in favor of the home team, as they dominated in its entirety.
They demolished the Lion Angels by 71 points with a final score of 106-35. This marks the third largest margin of victory in history, while scoring the most points since the 1984-85 season.
Although the Aztecs won with ease, they were missing a key player that has been huge for them this season. Freshman guard Nat Martinez was out with an ankle injury that occurred in Cancun.
She has won Mountain West Freshman of the Week two weeks in a row. The first honor came on Nov. 25, and second on Dec. 2.
Martinez, who is from San Leandro, Calif., has made an impact on the court for the Scarlet and Black. Her first double-digit scoring performance came on Nov. 16, when the team hosted the University of San Francisco. She scored 14 points in the second half and recorded a steal.
She made her first start against Cal State Bakersfield on Nov. 22, tallying 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
The USF game was her career high until the team traveled to Cancun, Mexico, where they played the University of Wisconsin-Madison and won 73-67. Martinez scored 22 points, setting a new career high. In the game, she also recorded a rebound and an assist.
By the end of the Cancun Challenge, Martinez totaled up to 31 points, including six three-pointers, and recorded three assists and a steal.
“[She is] fearless, tough competitor, tireless worker,” Terry-Hutson said. “Along with the rest of the team, but she is one that is really trying to do things the right way every time she is on the floor.”
Terry-Hutson has high hopes for Martinez to return for their next game on Wednesday. The Aztecs will take on Cal State Fullerton in an away matchup at 6 p.m, as they look to keep the good vibes rolling.
