The San Diego State women’s basketball team opened the 2025/26 season with a 77-53 defeat against No. 3 UCLA at the Orange County Hoops Classic in Anaheim.

As evidenced by the score, it was a collective struggle against an opponent with national championship aspirations. However, this marked the first time in school history where no scholarship upperclassmen returned, leaving room for improvement within head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson’s squad. 

“When we watch film, we’ll go back and tune up some things,” Terry-Hutson said. “But I thought our team played with a lot of heart … UCLA is a fantastic team, and I thought we hung in there for a couple of plays.”

Sophomore guard Kaelyn Hamilton led the Scarlet and Black with 11 points off the bench. Natalia Martinez and Nala Williams added 10 points apiece. Going back to last season, this marks the second time in a row the Aztecs have been held to fewer than 55 points, after going over that mark for nine games in a row prior.

As for the Bruins, Associated Press preseason All-American senior center Lauren Betts led all scorers with 21 points. Senior forward Gabriela Jaquez added a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for a UCLA team that was picked to finish atop the Big Ten conference. 

The Aztecs went down 8-0 within the first three minutes of the game, but back-to-back three pointers allowed them to cut the deficit within two. Unfortunately, that was the closest margin of the game, as UCLA went into the half with a 15-point lead. 

A 16-0 UCLA run in the 3rd quarter all but sealed the game for the Bruins. Every basket and ensuing defensive stop got a roar from the pro-UCLA crowd at the Honda Center.

Preseason All-Mountain West team member Naomi Panganiban struggled against a UCLA team that was creating havoc in the interior because of their defensive switches. She finished the night with only four points on 2-14 shooting. Regardless, she displayed enough to catch the attention of UCLA coach Cori Close. 

“[Panganiban] has 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts switching out on her on a lot of false screen action they like to use her on,” Close said. “But she’s crafty, she’s relentless, she’s fearless … great player and excited to watch her lead her team.” 

SDSU could have opened up the season against a lower-level school and cruised to victory. However, Martinez believes there are positive takeaways from facing a team like UCLA that will benefit them as the season goes on. 

“There were a couple moments [where] we got knocked down and [the] testament of our team was, how are we going to be when we get knocked down,” Martinez said. “We came back up … it was an incredible first game and we’ll just learn from it.” 

One aspect of the game where SDSU had the advantage was perimeter shooting. The Aztecs shot 40% from three-point range compared to UCLA’s 25.9%. It was an advantage Terry-Hutson expected to see. 

“In our first exhibition games, we did a really good job of sharing the ball and making threes,” Terry-Hutson said. “But I do think that’s going to be part of who we are … we’re going to take threes.” 

The scoreline did not bother the young SDSU squad in the slightest. Down 20 heading into the 4th quarter, sophomore guard Bailey Barnhard was still hustling on the floor like it was a one-possession game. Hamilton knocked down two three-pointers to lighten up the SDSU fans who had made the two-hour trip north. 

Plays like these demonstrate the culture Terry-Hutson has laid out for a team fresh off a Mountain West tournament title. 

“I think we all feed off each other. When we see each other get a big rebound, that kind of stuff makes us hype,” Hamilton said. “Us doing good things on the offensive end or the defensive end fuels each other to be able to hit shots and stuff like that. 

The Aztecs now return to Viejas Arena for their home opener against CSU San Marcos on Saturday at 3 p.m. A banner honoring their 2024-25 Mountain West tournament championship will be raised.