Emotion and dominance summed up the regular season finale for the San Diego State women’s basketball team. The Aztecs (22-9, 11-7 MW) earned their first five-game win streak since 2012-13 in a 75-61 victory over Fresno State (17-14, 8-10 MW).
Before tip-off, SDSU held a ceremony for senior night, culminating the college careers of five Aztecs. The team celebrated forwards Cali Clark, Adryana Quezada and Kim Villalobos, and guards Jazlen Green and Meghan Fiso.
All five players are in their fifth or sixth year of college basketball and have been a part of a special Aztec group. They contributed to three consecutive 20-win seasons on the Mesa and combined for 600 games played, 4,431 points scored, and 2,743 rebounds throughout their careers.
“I’m just so grateful for all the time I’ve spent here,” said Villalobos, who played in her program-record 150th career game. “It’s surreal. I’m trying to soak it all in, but it’s been a great five years for sure.”
SDSU carried the positive energy over from the ceremony, starting the game on fire. They opened the scoring with a steal from Villalobos, who dished the ball to Quezada for an easy layup.
The Aztecs and Bulldogs exchanged buckets early, but guard Veronica Sheffey took over, lighting a spark for SDSU. Sheffey had 10 points in the first quarter, due in large part to her ability to get to the free-throw line.
SDSU is now 15-1 when they shoot more free throws than their opposition. Making aggressive drives to the basket clearly paid off, as they shot 24 free throws compared to the Bulldogs’ 19.
Sheffey’s electric first quarter propelled the Scarlet and Black to an 8-0 run to close the first, giving them a 23-13 lead.
Despite the Aztecs’ hot start, Fresno State was determined to fight back into the game. After the teams traded buckets, the Bulldogs went on a 6-0 scoring run in the span of just one minute.
Nearing halftime, the lead was in jeopardy for SDSU. However, guard Kaelyn Hamilton drilled a three late in the quarter as the shot clock expired to alter the momentum.
The theme of the third quarter was eerily similar to the second, with Fresno right on the Aztecs’ tails. But late in the quarter, the Aztecs stretched their lead and didn’t look back.
Sheffey found guard Erin Houpt alone in the corner, who drilled a three. The next time down the floor, a beautiful passing play from Green to Clark got the lead back to double digits. Houpt later sank another three to close out the quarter.
Houpt’s signature performance from beyond the arc solidified her 2024-25 campaign as the most efficient three-point shooting season in SDSU history. Her 47.8 3FG% (32-67) is a single-season program record.
With everything clicking for the team, the fourth quarter felt more like a celebration than the most crucial minutes of the game.
Villalobos got up for a blocked shot early on, which exemplified the team’s dominant evening in the paint. The Aztecs tamed the Bulldogs on the paint, outscoring them 34-22 down low.
“We said if we keep the points out of the paint, keep Jacobs [Mia] under 20, then we’ll win the game,” Villalobos said. “It was just super important to keep that at the forefront of our defense.”
As the clock wound down and the Aztecs’ lead remained comfortable, head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson put all five seniors on the floor together to soak in their final moments playing at the Mesa.
All five seniors checked out of the game at the same time and shared an emotional embrace with Terry-Hutson while a roaring Viejas Arena crowd rose to their feet.
As the buzzer on the regular season sounded, it came time for SDSU to shift its focus to the postseason.
The Aztecs will take on New Mexico in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas at 2:30 p.m. on Monday. They split the season series with UNM, so both teams hope to bring their A-game.
