San Diego State women’s basketball extended its winning streak to 11 games with a commanding 94–66 victory over San Jose State on Saturday afternoon at Viejas Arena, remaining unbeaten in Mountain West play at 9–0.
“We’re not focusing too much on the streak,” head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said. “We’re really trying to keep our attention on getting better every game.”
Thirteen Aztecs saw the floor, with contributions across the lineup. Senior guard Nala Williams led SDSU with 20 points, and junior forward Kennedy Lee added 12.
Williams became the first Aztec in the Mountain West era to record at least 20 points and 10 assists without committing a turnover. The Aztecs also set a season high with 14 3-pointers, tying for the second-most in school history.
“It just shows how talented we are and that it could be anyone’s day,” Williams said. “Today I had 20 but another game it could be Nae[Naomi Panganiban], it could be Nat[Martinez], it can be Liz [Alyssa Jackson]. It could be anyone on the team.”
The Aztecs seized control early, opening the game on an 18–0 run and holding the Spartans scoreless for more than seven minutes. SDSU outscored San Jose State 25–9 in the first quarter.
“I thought we did a good job of coming back in and sharing the ball with some really nice passes underneath the rim, some inside-out passes, some transition passes,” Terry-Hutson said. “But when we share, we’re very hard to guard.”
Lee was the first player from either team to score the first bucket of the game with a 3-pointer, but the Spartans responded on the next possession when sophomore guard Stella Sgro drained a 3-pointer to tie the game.
The Aztecs moved the ball throughout the quarter, highlighted by a specific play with Williams finding sophomore forward Bailey Barnhard for a 3-pointer.
SDSU capitalized on SJSU turnovers in the first quarter. While pressing on an inbound play, Williams stole the ball and was fouled, leading to two free throws for the Aztecs.
“It’s our defense. When we’re really honing in on defense, we’re able to stack because offense just comes naturally to us,” Williams said. “We’re very talented and very skilled group of women, so it’s really when we lock it on the defense, we have those amazing runs.”
Terry-Hutson emphasized that ball movement sparked the 18-0 run in the first quarter.
Another play that had the Aztecs on fire in the first quarter came when junior forward Maria Konstantinidou found sophomore guard Nat Martinez, who knocked down a 3-pointer and drew a foul to make a four-point play that brought the crowd to its feet.
“It’s just such an adrenaline rush,” Williams said about Nat’s four-point play. “Even if it’s not me, it’s an Aztec and that means that it’s us. So it feels amazing.”
Coming out of a timeout, sophomore guard CJ Latta scored a 3-pointer, extending the Aztecs’ lead to 21-3. On the following possession, the Spartans ended their scoring drought when junior guard Allie Cummins hit a 3-pointer, though the Aztecs still led 21-6.
SJSU found more of a rhythm in the second quarter but was unable to close the gap. By the end of the second quarter, the Aztecs outscored the Spartans by one point, 22-21, with the Aztecs leading 47-30 at halftime.
Spartans gained momentum on the defensive end after two Spartans blocked Lee, then converted on offense when redshirt senior guard Amira Brown knocked down a 3-pointer off an assist from Cummins.
“Disappointed in our three-point defense, we gave up 15,” Terry-Hutson said. “They are a high attempt shooting three-point team, we told them that, and I just felt like we didn’t do a great job closing out.”
Starting the third quarter, sophomore guard Naomi Panganiban scored the first bucket of the second half with a 3-pointer assisted by Lee, giving SDSU a 50-30 lead.
Three-pointers continued to fall for the Aztecs, with Panganiban, Williams and sophomore guard Kaelyn Hamilton making six combined in the third quarter.
A key moment came at the end of the quarter when sophomore guard and forward Alyssa Jackson hit a two-point buzzer-beater. Her teammates rushed the court as the crowd erupted in cheers.
Bench players also had their moments to shine throughout the game. In the fourth quarter, freshman guard Kendall Mosley hit a three-pointer.
“I thought they were ready and those kids when you come off the bench, it’s a unique situation to be in,” Terry-Hutson said. “I normally refer to them as our game changers because they have the ability to come in and change the game.”
The Scarlet and Black will hit the road to Fort Collins to face Colorado State on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 10 a.m. They return to Viejas Arena on Saturday, Jan. 31, to play against Nevada at 1 p.m.
