San Diego State women’s basketball pulled down 51 rebounds and defeated Cal State Fullerton, 55-45 on Sunday, Nov. 17 at Viejas Arena.
SDSU outrebounded the Titans 51-41.
“The emphasis today was rebounding,” sophomore forward Mallory Adams said, who recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds.
It was Adams’ first double-double of the season.
SDSU is coming a home loss to Alabama A&M, which also included losing the rebound advantage, 46-37.
Adams said their mentality was to bounce back after the loss.
“Alabama A&M outdid us on the rebounding, so we wanted to come in and make sure we can control it,” Adams said. “Finding a body every time is something we can do and we really tried to fix it today.”
Aztecs head coach Stacie Terry said Adams’ being unafraid is key for her to get over 10 rebounds.
“She’s always going to rebound,” Terry said. “Double-doubles are not new to Mallory and she is going to continue to get those. She works so hard to get in there she’s not afraid to sacrifice her body.”
Terry also said the team focused on rebounding and defense after the loss to Alabama A&M.
“(Rebounding) has been the focus on the defensive end, so we went back to the drawing board and made sure that we were going to defend this game,” Terry said. “I am really proud of their effort.”
SDSU is coming home to a loss to Alabama A&M, which also included losing the rebound advantage, 46-37.
In addition to Adams’ 12 rebounds, senior forward Baylee Vanderdoes and sophomore guard Sophia Ramos each had seven rebounds.
Offensively, the Scarlet and Black (3-2) were paced by senior Taylor Kalmer, who scored a team-high 15 points and shot three-for-four from 3-point range.
Terry said Kalmer, who have scored in double figures all five games for SDSU, has not reached the top of her game in an Aztec uniform yet.
“I don’t even think (Kalmer) has reached her potential,” Terry said. “She is really affecting the game defensively. She’s been the difference maker in our defense, being able to defend guards at a high level.”
Kalmer knew the Titans (3-2) had some good players on offense, so the Aztec defense had to be in full force.
“We were trying to focus on containing the ball and (Fullerton) plays fast,” Kalmer said. “They have have some good guards, and we tried to focus on the rebounds a little bit more.”
In addition to the defense, Kalmer and Adams combined for five-for-seven from 3-point range.
Kalmer’s second 3-pointer came with four minutes left in the second quarter when sophomore guard Sophia Ramos found her in the corner in transition to give SDSU a 23-17 lead.
The Oregon State transfer said the 3-pointers come from teammates such as Ramos, who finished with a team-high five assists
“That was huge for us,” Kalmer said of the 3-pointers. “ All credit (goes) to our players for creating and getting the open looks.”
SDSU finishes the five-game homestand against California at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 at Viejas Arena.
Adams said the team cannot wait to face a Power Five conference team in the Golden Bears.
“We’ve been waiting for this one for awhile,” Adams said. “I think we’re motivated. We’re ready to play and really excited.”
