Coming off a dominant 95-35 win over Cal State San Marcos in their home opener this past Saturday, San Diego State women’s basketball looked to keep the momentum rolling in Viejas Arena as they faced the 2-0 Cal State Northridge Matadors Wednesday night.
The Scarlet and Black substituted their traditional threads for their striking N7 turquoise jerseys, honoring an initiative that encourages youth participation in sports within Native American and Indigenous communities. The N7 jerseys are soon to be auctioned in support of Inter Tribal Sports, the SDSU Native Resource Center and the Department of American Indian Studies.
“These jerseys were a beacon of motivation for the ladies,” senior forward Kennedy Lee said. “It’s really important to recognize just how much the community has poured into our program.”
It was clear that community support would keep the Aztecs in the game. After falling short in the first quarter, the ladies of La Mesa struggled to get points on the board, trailing 19-17.
Head Coach Stacie Terry-Hutson, however, embraced the adversity.
“They gave it to us in the first quarter, we had some adversity in UCLA and didn’t have so much in the second game, so I was happy to see how we responded in the second and third [quarter],” Terry-Hutson said.
As soon as the second quarter began, the Aztecs were a new team. The ladies scored 33 points, 15 of them from Lee. She seemed unstoppable, and the Matadors were not coming close to stopping her in this career-high game.
Lee was not the only standout in this game; this team effort reflects all the ladies representing SDSU. Efforts by senior guard Nala Williams and sophomore guard Naomi Panganiban contributed to the Aztecs’ 91 points. Williams scored 19 points and had six assists for SDSU, and Panganiban added 15 points.
After the first half at Viejas, CSUN shot 37.5%from the field, 35.7% from three-point range and 66.7% from the free-throw line. SDSU shot 47.1% from the field, 41.2% from the three-point line and 73.3%from the charity stripe.
Terry-Hutson believes the Aztecs’ win is a nod to the offensive efforts of the ladies.
“We are a much improved shooting team from top to bottom this year,” Terry-Hutson said. “I thought some of those were easy chippy ones, maybe nerves, that we will continue to get better at and work on.”
SDSU maintained its intensity in the third quarter, opening the second half on a 17–3 run started from a deep shot by Williams, a shot only open because of a huge steal from CSUN. The Matadors’ turnovers were detrimental, allowing the SDSU offense to take every opportunity to get to the net.
Another dominant quarter for Aztec basketball: SDSU was sitting at 82 points and looking to increase that number in the fourth quarter, as sophomore guard Alyssa Jackson set a new career high with six rebounds.
Following the second half, the CSUN Matadors shot 42.4% from the field, 36% from three-point range and 73.3% from the free-throw line. The Aztecs were sitting in a better position, shooting 50% from the field, 50% from beyond the arc and 73.7% from the free-throw line.
With the Aztecs scoring 91 points, this is also the first time the Aztecs have scored 90 or more points in back-to-back games since the 1991-92 season.
Amongst the Aztecs’ wins, it is clear that the program Coach Terry-Hutson is building is more than just a game.
When talking about the program, Lee commented, “At one point, I didn’t think that I would play basketball again. Coming here, the coaches and teammates just pour so much love into me and so much encouragement.”
After asserting their dominance against CSUN, the Aztecs will look to carry that momentum into Saturday’s matchup against CSU Bakersfield. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Viejas Arena.
