San Diego State’s women and men’s basketball teams had three things in common on Saturday.
First, they were both defeated by Boise State.
Second, both teams were held to 63 points.
And third, both Aztec teams saw a streak come to an end.
Saturday afternoon in Boise, the SDSU women’s basketball team (11-16, 6-10 Mountain West) saw its five game winning streak come to a screeching halt, falling to the Broncos (17-10, 10-6 MW) 68-63.
Although a five-game winning streak is a little more modest compared to the men’s mythical streak, the loss leaves a bitter taste for the Aztecs as they head into its two final games of the season.
After the first quarter, Boise State found itself ahead 16-11. The quarter saw two ties and three lead changes.
The Aztecs then jumped out in front after a 13-7 run. But the lead was short-lived as the Broncos conjured up a 10-5 run of its own, and headed into the locker room leading 33-29.
SDSU played from behind for a majority of the second half. Midway through the third quarter, the Aztecs tied the game at 43, but a quick three from Boise shortly after kept the Aztecs playing from behind for the remainder of the game.
The Aztecs did pull within four late in the final quarter, however its was too little too late, and the Aztecs suffered their first defeat in over three weeks.
The victory marked the first time that Boise had a season sweep of SDSU. Boise State also beat the Aztecs at Viejas Arena back on Jan. 16th.
Senior guard Ahjalee Harvey and sophomore guard McKynzie Fort carried the Aztecs through the game, combining for 34 of the Aztecs’ points.
Harvey finished with 14 points, three assists and two rebounds, while Fort finished with 20 points, two rebounds and one assist.
Senior forward Deidra Smith nearly posted a double-double as she finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Boise State was anchored by junior guard Yaiza Rodriguez.
Rodriguez finished with a team-high 20 points and four assists. All of Rodriguez’s points from the field were courtesy of 3-pointers, as she went 5-for-9 from behind the arc and converted 5 of 7 free throws.
Rodriguez also played the entire game. The junior never left the floor, logging all 40 minutes of the game.
With the win, the Broncos clinched a top five finish in the MW, and clinched a first round bye in the conference’s upcoming tournament.
For the Aztecs on the other hand, the team’s recent five-game winning streak catapulted them from second-to-last place, all the way up to eighth place in the standings.
This season, every team in the conference will make the MW tournament. However, starting next season the conference will only take the top eight teams.
Is head coach Stacie Terry looking at the st
“Not at all,” Terry said. “The only thing we’re worried about is trying to get the best seed that we can, so we can try to get ourselves the best opportunity to win the conference tournament.”
The Aztecs will look to get back in the win column in its final home game of the season next Tuesday for senior night when they host University of New Mexico.
