The San Diego State women’s basketball team played its first game of the Mountain West Tournament against the New Mexico Lobos in the quarterfinals on Monday at Thomas & Mack Center, winning 63-53.
From the start, the Aztecs struggled, allowing the Lobos to go on an 8-2 run three minutes into the game.
“We knew this was going to be a battle,” head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said. “And I thought New Mexico came out and threw a haymaker, a really hard punch. I thought they out-toughed us and were really physical in the first half.”
By the second quarter, the Aztecs were slowly sneaking up as they tied the game 33-33 by halftime.
Aztecs took momentum from the Lobos starting the third quarter, scoring 18 points while holding the Lobos to just five points with their strong defense.
“New Mexico came in the first quarter trying to establish their will and presence,” senior guard Jazlen Green said. “They did hit us first in the first quarter. But our goal was, coming in out of the halftime, was to really do better on defense, communicate, knowing what they’re doing, knowing the personnel and just, honestly, being consistent.”
The Aztecs’ bench put on a show and accumulated 27 points combined. Those who made an impact on the court were guards Green, Kaelyn Hamilton, and forward Cali Clark.
“I think we just had to focus on getting the ball in so we could play out,” Clark said. “Just getting big and kind of taking what they gave me. They were giving me the lob kind of. So just being able to push them up and get my position to get over-the-top pass, that was really successful for us today.”
Besides the bench making an impact, only one Aztec starter reached double digits, forward Adryana Quezada. who finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Although forward Kim Villalobos didn’t score in double digits, she still made an impact with eight points, four assists, two steals, and one block.
At the end of the game, the Aztecs’ statistics were 46.4% in field goals, 28.6% in three-pointers, and 60% in free throws. The Lobos shot 38.2% in field goal, 23.5% in three-pointers, and 43.8% in free throws.
The Aztecs advanced to the semifinals, where they will face No.1 seed UNLV for a rematch of the 2024 MW Championship game today at 5:30 p.m.
“We’re excited,” Villalobos said. “We’re excited to compete to get the opportunity to compete. Extremely grateful to be here today and be able to have another game tomorrow. We’re just really locked in.”
