The San Diego State women’s basketball team spent the past weekend competing in the 26th annual Omni Hotels Classic at Coors Event Center in Boulder, Colo.
The Aztecs won their first matchup 78-57 against Auburn University on Friday, but lost their second game 67-53 against the University of Colorado Boulder on Saturday to go 1-1 on the weekend.
SDSU now owns a 3-2 record overall on the season.
Friday’s game started off with two turnovers, one by each team, in the first 45 seconds of the game. However, SDSU went on to take the lead early on in the first half, while Auburn slowly trailed behind.
Senior guard Courtney Clements scored 13 points alone in the first half and senior point guard Chelsea Hopkins had five rebounds and four assists. SDSU shot 34 percent from the field and 100 percent from the free throw line, taking a 29-24 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Tigers were determined to catch up, and five minutes into the second half, Auburn redshirt sophomore guard Courtney Strain sank a three-pointer that tied the score at 36 for the first time in the entire game. But the Aztecs didn’t let the tie stand for very long. Less than a minute later, senior center Malia Nahinu hit Auburn right back with a layup to secure the lead once again.
SDSU continued to build a point gap so wide it was almost impossible for the Tigers to catch up. The Aztecs were up by more than 20 points with less than two minutes left in the game and outscored the Tigers 49-33 in the second half.
Clements led the team with 26 points, while Hopkins scored 14 points and led the team with a total of nine rebounds and seven assists. Nahinu scored 12 points and eight rebounds.
A day later, the Aztecs took on the host Colorado and once again set the pace from the beginning. But the Buffaloes didn’t trail behind for very long and in the sixth minute of the first half, redshirt freshmen forward Arielle Roberson tied the game 16-16 with a layup.
From then on, SDSU battled Colorado for the lead, but with less than three minutes left on the clock before halftime, the Buffaloes pulled ahead to take a 28-23 lead into halftime.
In the first half, the Aztecs were held to 31 percent shooting from the field, but made nine of the 12 free throws they attempted.
Colorado began the second half with a five-point lead and controlled the ball for the rest of the game. The Aztecs fought hard, but could not catch up.
Clements led the team again with 19 points, her fourth straight contest reaching double figures, while sophomore forward Erimma Amarikwa scored 11 points. Hopkins led the team with six rebounds, while sophomore forward Khristina Hunter and redshirt freshman Deajanae Scurry had five apiece.
The Buffaloes scored 23 points off of 21 SDSU turnovers and outscored the Aztecs 28-23 in the first half and 39-30 in the second half to win the game 67- 53. Colorado is now 4-0 on the season.
Clements was selected to the all-tournament team.
The Aztecs return home to play the University of Southern California at 7 p.m. on Friday at Viejas Arena.
