San Diego State women’s basketball played its home opener against Cal State San Marcos on Nov. 8 at Viejas Arena, where the Aztecs had their way with the Cougars, seeing a final score of 95-35.

Sophomore guard Alyssa Jackson is ready to go this season after utilizing her redshirt last year.

“We found a way to play together as a team,” Jackson said. “We kind of knew that [we] would be a better team against San Marcos, but we knew that we still had to play Aztec basketball.”

From the start, the Aztecs won possession on the opening tip and converted it into a quick layup within the first six seconds by senior guard Nala Williams, a new face on the roster.

Within the first minute, the Aztecs added two more baskets from sophomore guard Nat Martinez.

After that, the game continued moving at a quicker pace. The Aztecs maintained control throughout, and by the end of the first half, SDSU led 53-22.

The Aztecs shot 52.9% from the field goal, 26.7% from the three-point line and 81.3% from the free-throw line to close the first half. The Cougars shot 29.2% from the field goal, 23.1% from three-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line.

One of the Aztecs’ strengths in the first half was limiting turnovers, committing only four compared to San Marcos’ 12. The Aztecs converted those turnovers into 15 points, while also adding 11 points from second-chance opportunities and 14 points from fast-break opportunities.

During the second half, the Aztecs continued to dominate. Not once did the Cougars hold a lead, let alone come close to that mark.

By the end of the game, the Aztecs shot 52.3% from the field, 36.7% from three-point range and 72.7% from the free-throw line. The Cougars shot 25.5% from the field, 19% from the three-point line and 70% from the free-throw line.

The Aztecs also continued to capitalize on turnovers, doubling their points off turnovers from 15 in the first half to 30 by the end of the game.

Each quarter for the Aztecs ended in double digits. They scored 24 points in the first quarter, 29 in the second, 22 in the third and 20 in the fourth. As for the Cougars, the Aztecs kept them in check. Cougars scored eight points in the first quarter, 14 in the second, eight in the third and five in the fourth, showcasing SDSU’s stifling defense.

The Aztecs finished with 15 steals and 19 assists.

Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson played 13 of the 14 players on her roster. She is still working to find her rotation, but each player had a moment to shine against the Cougars. Five Aztecs finished in double figures: Martinez with 14 points, Williams with 12, Jackson with 11, sophomore guard Naomi Panganiban with 13 and freshman guard Kendall Mosley with 11.

“I want five people in double figures,” Terry-Hutson said. “I don’t want one kid shooting 30 times, that’s not how we’re going to play basketball here at San Diego State. I love what we’re trending, I love what we’re doing, we just got to keep being consistent.”

Fans got a first look at the new talent and the skills they bring to the program.

Although she was out last season, Jackson made a significant contribution with two assists and a career-high of 11 points.

“She’s been playing well, and what I love about Alyssa is she’s letting the game come to her,” Terry-Hutson said. “She’s not doing anything crazy, she’s taking great shots and making the easy ones. She’s just playing great team basketball; she’s been unbelievably coachable.

Not only did the Aztecs earn the home-opening win, but they also celebrated their 2024-25 Mountain West Tournament championship team by unveiling the banner and presenting championship rings to the players who were on last season’s roster. Returning players such as Jazleen Green and Natalija Grizelj took part in the ceremony. In addition, the father of former player Kim Villalobos accepted her ring on her behalf.

“For us to celebrate and raise a banner and get our rings for last year’s accomplishments, it was really fun,” Terry-Hutson said. “I said, ‘We got to put that aside because we got to work on getting new rings [and] new banners.’”

The Scarlet and Black will play next on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at Viejas Arena against Cal State Northridge at 6 p.m.

“We’re going to continue to play San Diego State basketball,” Terry-Hutson said. “We’re going to defend at a high level and share the ball. If we do that, we give ourselves a really good chance to win.”