The San Diego State Aztecs women’s basketball team fell to 0-2 on the season tonight after coming up just short against the University of Southern California, losing by a score of 65-61.
For the second straight week, senior center Cierra Warren led the Aztecs with 21 points, all of which came in the second half against the Trojans. Warren also posted 28 points in the team’s season-opening loss to the Sacramento State University Hornets. Senior guard Danesha Long also had a good stat line in the USC game, scoring 12 points with three rebounds and shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.
While Long and Warrens’ performances were admirable, the rest of the team was unable to generate much offense against the Trojans. No other Aztec eclipsed double-digit points, and the team connected on just 2-of-4 three-point tries. USC was able to establish rhythm and go on big offensive runs early in the game, and led by as much as 19 points in the first half.
The Aztecs would not go down easily, however. Junior point guard Ahjalee Harvey drilled a three-pointer to open the second half to cut the USC lead to 10. The Aztecs attempted a furious comeback with less than two minutes left in the game, as Long and Warren repeatedly scored on jump shots and consistently scored on free-throws.
The outstanding last-ditch effort by the Aztecs was shut down by the Trojans, who simply built too large of a lead for the Aztecs to overcome. Junior guard Ariya Crook led USC in scoring with 18 points, three rebounds and three assists, and senior forward Cassie Harberts added 17 points and three rebounds of her own.
Last Sunday, the Aztecs women’s basketball team lost a heartbreaker on the road against the Sacramento State University Hornets in the team’s regular-season opener by a final score of 89-93. Despite shooting 62.3 percent from the field, the Aztecs were unable to overcome a total of 34 turnovers and 18 Sacramento State three-point field goals.
Down 50-31 late in the first half, the Aztecs were able to gain some momentum going into the locker room after two field goals from Long and a layup at the buzzer from junior forward Chairese Culberson set up at 10-2 run to cut the Hornets’ lead to 52-41 at halftime.
The second half saw multiple lead changes as both teams battled hard to establish a solid lead on each others’ opponents. The Aztecs stormed early in the second half, outscoring the Hornets 16-5 during the first seven minutes. The Aztecs were able to build a five-point lead with just four minutes left in the game.
But Sacramento State would not be held down, playing good defense on Warren—the Aztecs’ biggest weapon—and capitalized on a costly SDSU penalty that resulted in four points for the Hornets. Sacramento State never looked back and was able to hang on for the win.
Still, head coach Stacie Terry expressed confidence in her team and is optimistic for the rest of the season.
[quote]“I’m playing with 12 young ladies that are lacking in experience, but not in heart and talent,” Terry said at a Tuesday press conference. “I’m excited about our future because these kids want to be good and they are working every day toward that.”[/quote]
The team returns to Viejas Arena Monday, Nov. 18 to take on the University of San Diego Toreros at 6 p.m.
