The San Diego State women’s basketball team traveled to Utah to play against the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, Jan. 18 at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aztecs (14-6, 3-4 Mountain West) defeated the Aggies (1-16, 0-6 MW) by a final score of 85-66.
From the start of the first quarter, neither team could gain momentum. Two minutes in, Utah set the tone as freshman guard Elise Livingston scored a layup.
On the next position, the Aztecs responded as freshman guard Nat Martinez drained a 3-pointer, assisted by freshman guard Naomi Panganiban.
After Martinez’s first basket, the Aztecs gained rhythm as she hit another 3-pointer, this time assisted by junior guard Veronica Sheffey.
The Aggies then dominated the rest of the quarter as they had an 11-0 run for over five minutes. The run was broken when Martinez sank a third three-pointer, helping the Aztecs to trail behind by just two points.
Even though the Aztecs were trailing behind by two points, the Aggies responded with a three-pointer by senior guard Cheyenne Stubbs, giving Utah a five-point lead.
The Aztecs took their time on the offensive side, utilizing multiple ball movements and sharing the ball to find an open player.
By the end of the first quarter, the Aztecs trailed by two points.
The second quarter favored the Aztecs as Sheffey started by scoring a jumper, tying the game at 16-16.
After the shot, both teams went cold for a minute, but the rhythm picked up when Martinez drained another three-pointer. With that shot, the Aztecs took possession for the rest of the game.
Not only was Martinez hitting three-pointers, but Panganiban also had a hot hand. Her first bucket was a three-pointer, assisted by Sheffey, right after Martinez’s shot.
Panganiban then sank a back-to-back three-pointer, assisted by Martinez, before scoring a layup on the next possession.
Martinez followed with another three-pointer, continuing the Aztecs lead 30-23, with the assist from Sheffey.
In addition to her assists, Sheffey contributed with free throws, going 4-for-4 at the line after being fouled twice in the second quarter.
Senior forward Kim Villalobos helped maintain the momentum, scoring the last two points of the quarter with free throws.
The scarlet and black ended the second quarter leading 38-35, with two 8-0 runs.
In the third quarter, more players stepped up for the Aztecs, hitting big shots.
Senior forward Adryana Quezada set the tone, scoring the first bucket of the quarter with a layup.
For the next 55 seconds, neither team was able to score, but Villalobos cleared that with a fast-break layup.
The Aggies were slowly coming back up with the Aztecs when Stubbs hit a three-pointer, with the assist of freshman guard Carlie Latta, cutting the score to 42-38.
Martinez quickly responded back with another three-pointer, assisted by Sheffey. Sheffey was able to go for a layup off a turnover made by the Aggies, pushing the Aztecs’ lead to 47-38.
The Aztecs kept going on a roll when a second chance opportunity opened up for Sheffey and scored a three-pointer.
Off the bench, junior guard Erin Houpt continued the Aztecs’ momentum with a three-pointer, while freshman guard Kaelyn Hamilton added two free throws.
By the end of the third quarter, the Aztecs were up by 10 points, 63-53.
In the fourth quarter, the freshman duo Martinez and Panganiban contributed with a couple of layups and assists. Sheffey also played a key role, scoring free throws, a jumper and a layup, while providing assists. To close out the game, Hamilton hit a three-pointer and Houpt made two free throws and another three-pointer.
The lead scorer was Martinez, who contributed 22 points, tying her career-high. She also set new career highs with nine rebounds, seven assists and six three-pointers. On Jan.13, Martinez was named Freshman of the Week for the third time this season.
“Nat is a competitor,” Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said. “She’s going to play hard every time she’s on the floor and she wants to win at all costs. She’s a little bulldog out there. I’m glad she’s on our team and not playing against her.”
Trailing behind her was Sheffey, who had a season-high of 19 points, three rebounds, seven assists and one steal.
The Aztecs shot 60% from three-point range, 78.9% from the free-throw line, and 49.2% from field goal.
“I’m really proud of how we refocused and regrouped [after losing the last two] and we played well today,” Terry-Hutson said. “Utah State is a scary team because they’re hungry to win and shoot a lot of threes. It was just a good all-around win.”
The Aztecs will return home to face San Jose State University on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Viejas Arena at 6 p.m.
