The San Diego State women’s basketball team (13-5, 2-3 Mountain West) fell to the University of Wyoming (9-7, 3-1 Mountain West) by a score of 78-71 in Laramie on Saturday.
Wyoming boasts a significant home-court advantage, which showed on the court. Sitting at 7,220 feet above sea level, they play at the highest elevation in college basketball.
Early on, the Aztecs struggled to find their groove. The Cowgirls got off to an 8-0 start, capitalizing on four early SDSU turnovers.
Although they recovered from the slow start, it proved pivotal in the outcome of the game.
“We spotted them eight points to start the game and that was the difference,” Head Coach Stacy Terry-Hutson said.
The momentum shifted when forward Cali Clark checked into the game, making an early impact with a block followed by six points to bring the game to within one.
Wyoming guard Malene Pedersen answered with six consecutive points of her own. After that, the teams exchanged blows and the quarter finished 20-17 in favor of Wyoming.
While the game moved forward, SDSU forward Adryana Quezada took over, making four consecutive field goals. This helped the Aztecs get their first lead of the night, but Wyoming did not go away. Allyson Fertig, the Mountain West’s leading scorer, went to battle with Quezada, a theme that continued throughout the night.
It was another day in the office for Quezada, who leads the team in scoring. She finished with 15 points, one of three Aztecs in double figures.
As the game remained tight, Nat Martinez made a turnaround buzzer beater to tie the game at 38 and give herself 11 points on the half.
Martinez also notched 15 points in the game, helping keep the team afloat in the first half, and continuing her stellar season as a true freshman.
The second half began just like the first one ended. Both teams traded baskets, with the Aztec and Cowgirl stars leading the way for their sides.
An Erin Houpt three tied the game midway through the third quarter, but the Aztecs then went cold. After the three, SDSU finished the quarter on a five-minute field goal drought, allowing Wyoming to take a 60-54 lead going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter started like the third ended. The field goal drought continued into the quarter and the Cowgirls extended their lead to ten points. SDSU finally ended the drought, beginning a late push to make the game interesting.
Momentum seemed to be in favor of the Aztecs when guard Naomi Panganiban banked in a three to cut the lead to six points. This was deemed true when Clark checked back in and willed the team to a 7-0 scoring run.
Clark had arguably her best game in an Aztec uniform, earning a double-double with 13 rebounds to go along with a season-high 18 points.
The Aztecs continued their push, cutting the lead to two with 51 seconds remaining. On the following possession, Wyoming guard Emily Mellama drained a three late in the shot clock, sealing the game for the Cowgirls.
Despite the scoring contributions from Clark, Martinez, and Quezada, the Aztecs lost their first game in which three players scored double-digits, dropping to 10-1 when accomplishing such numbers.
Though impressed with the team’s offensive firepower, Terry-Hutson wants to see more on the other side of the ball.
“We just turned the ball over too much in the fourth quarter and took some questionable shots,” she said. “We came up here and scored 71 points, so it wasn’t our offense, it was our defense.”
SDSU seeks to bounce back against Colorado State at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15th at Viejas Arena.
