After keeping their quest for Mountain West perfection alive, the Aztec women’s basketball team will look to improve on its offensive performance from the one against Colorado State on Jan. 28.
Although they prevailed by a score of 46-44, they didn’t hit a single three-pointer as they went 0-12 from beyond the arc.
However, the 2nd-ranked defense in the conference stood tall, holding the Rams to 31% from the field and allowing only two three-pointers. This demonstrated to coach Stacie Terry-Hutson that her team can win any style of game.
“You got to find other ways to win, you know, and I think we’ve done a really good job offensively prior to yesterday’s game,” Terry-Hutson said. “The altitude got to us a little bit, but we were able to lock in and get enough done to make sure we got the win.”
Sophomore guard Kaelyn Hamilton scored a career-high 15 points off the bench to lead all scorers. In a game where scoring was hard to come by, Hamilton’s interior play was a big reason why the Aztecs prevailed.
“I was really impressed with Kaelyn [and] how she was able to take what the defense was giving her and being able to get to the rim and to her midrange game,” Terry-Hutson said. “They went to a really small lineup [and] we didn’t have some of the advantages for us to kick and score [from three], so she really kept us in the game offensively.”
Midseason check-in
Halfway through the season, with 10 games remaining before the Mountain West Conference Championships in Las Vegas, the Aztecs have a young group. The team includes two freshmen, six sophomores, three juniors and two seniors.
Terry-Hutson describes each class differently. For the four sophomores she coached last season, guards Nat Martinez, Kaelyn Hamilton, Naomi Panganiban and forward Bailey Barnhard, leadership stands out.
“They’re the big reason why we’re here this year,” Terry-Hutson said. “They’ve just raised the standard and continue to work and get better. The future is really bright with this program.”
Last season’s roster included 11 players who have graduated or left through the transfer portal. Martinez was a freshman then, guided by older teammates. Now, with such a young squad, she has stepped up into a leadership role.
“We were kind of forced into these captain roles, these veteran roles when we’re 19,” Martinez said. “Coming in, we were 17 listening to these 23- and 24-year-olds, so we got told a lot of stuff fast. Taking what we learned last year from the vets to this year has really helped.”
The roster’s transfers include guards Nala Williams and CJ Latta, forwards Maria Konstantinidou, Kennedy Lee and Sofia Kelemeni, who plays both guard and forward. They filled the gaps left by players who moved on from the program.
“I thought we did a good job of replacing what we lost,” Terry-Hutson said. “The style of play is exciting, they’re excited and buying in. Not only are we scoring at a higher level because of those situations with the transfer portal and plugging those holes, [but] we’re actually able to defend at a high level still.”
For the freshman class, opportunities on the court and hard work in practice stand out for center Aubrey Cook and guard Kendall Mosley.
“Them being able to just step in and stay ready, as their freshman year, that’s really what it’s about, just waiting for opportunity,” Terry-Hutson said.
Pressure on being the #1 seed in the Mountain West
Despite holding the No.1 seed in the MW and being chased by the rest of the league, Terry-Hutson still considers her team the underdog.
“Even when we were still winning 20 plus games, I still felt like we were the underdog,” Terry-Hutson said. “Now, with this winning streak, especially, we are the hunted. It’s a different level of respect that we are getting now, but also a different level of effort that we’re getting night in and night out.”
For Martinez, the winning streak brings a mix of emotions.
“It’s definitely a great feeling going into practice starting today, 10-0, but it’s a true testament to all our hard work, where it started in the summer to practices now,” Martinez said. “We play hard, we work hard, and it’s showing on the floor.”
When it comes to adversity, the Scarlet and Black simply overcome it and focus on getting the job done for the program.
“I don’t know if it’s because they’re young and new, but it doesn’t seem to faze them,” Terry-Hutson said. “They’re not too high or too low. Every win or loss, we’ve come in and done the same work. I love that about this group. They’re just accepting the job and understanding the assignment.”
With 10 games left, Martinez believes the public hasn’t yet seen the Aztecs’ full potential.
“Using these 10 games as time to polish our offense and our defense,” Martinez said. “Playing as a team is really going to help us win the tournament like we did last year. Peaking at the right time, I still believe that we haven’t peaked. We showed glimpses of it [at the] GCU game [and] yesterday with our defense, but putting that in four quarters is crucial.”
The Aztecs will host the Nevada Wolf Pack tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Viejas Arena, where the program will celebrate Girls and Women in Sports Day and honor the 2009-10 Sweet 16 team for their 16th anniversary.
“They’re physical, they’re tough, we got to make sure we keep them off the glass,” Terry-Hutson said. “Very good defensive team as well. We got to figure out how we’re going to slow them down but also how we’re going to put the ball in the basket.”
