It was a cold night outside of the CBU Events Center in Riverside, Calif. on Dec. 19. Inside the arena, however, things heated up when San Diego State women’s basketball sophomore guard Sophia Ramos dropped 30 points in the Aztecs’ 80-68 win over California Baptist.
The game marked a new career-high for Ramos, who shot 9-for-14 from the field (4-6 3-pointers) along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
It had been almost two years since an Aztec scored 30 points or more in a game. The last player to do so was guard McKynzie Fort, who recorded 32 points against San Jose State on Jan. 20, 2018.
Looking back even further in the history books, Ramos finished the night with a 64% field goal percentage, marking 11 years since an Aztec 30 point-plus scorer reciprocated a feat of that magnitude.
“I saw a few shots go in and my confidence went up,” Ramos said. “My teammates, who are always there encouraging me, let me know to keep shooting because they’re going to continue to fall.”
The Aztecs (5-7, 1-1 Mountain West Conference) handed the Lancers (8-6, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference) their first home loss of the season. Heading into Thursday night’s matchup, California Baptist was 7-0 on their own court.
SDSU next heads to San Antonio for a regular season clash with the Incarnate Word Cardinals (3-5, 0-1 Southland Conference) at McDermott Center on Saturday afternoon.
Both clubs met in their inaugural game last season at Viejas Arena where the Aztecs edged the Cardinals 81-38.
For Ramos, this road game will be a special one as it will be the first time in her Aztec career she gets to play in her hometown.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Ramos said. “Getting to come home to show my family and friends what I’ve been working for is big. It’s very cool because my former club team, high school team and a bunch of other people are coming so I get to show that hard work will continue to pay off.”
Out of her countless supporters back in San Antonio, three that stand out the most are her two parents Nikki and Gavino Ramos and her younger brother, who also is named Gavino.
The ties to basketball are strong inside the Ramos family.
While Sophia plays for the Aztecs, Ramos Jr. is on the varsity team for the Apaches at Antonian High School.
Ramos Sr. said having both his children develop as players right in front of his eyes is a blessing as a parent.
“It’s humbling,” Ramos Sr. said. “I can’t tell you the times I sit in the stands and feel like I’m going to tear up. To see what they can do and the ability of how they do it – after every game no matter how good or bad they’re looking forward to the next practice and want to get better.”
Not only are the Ramos children gifted playing sports, but they carry themselves to be more than just athletes.
Recently, Sophia volunteered with the Junior Seau Foundation. She participated in the 25th annual Shop with a Jock – an event where San Diego athletes use their platforms to help local underprivileged kids buy gifts for their loved ones.
“She’s always had a big heart and a soft spot for kids,” Ramos Sr. said. “This is Sophia. That’s the person we know and love. She’s a special person and we’ve known that all along but it’s great for everyone to get to see what we see.”
Every athlete has to make sacrifices in order to improve and perform at the highest level. Ramos Sr. said Sophia demonstrated that from a young age.
“It’s a lot of work she’s put in,” Ramos Sr. said. “Sophia missed a lot of high school activities because she was in the gym, but when she has nights like (Thursday) it shows how hard work pays off. (Sophia) has never short-changed herself. It makes you feel good to know that the hard work she puts into it is worth it.”
You don’t have to look far to see what Ramos Sr. is talking about. His daughter was named Mountain West Player of the Week Monday. She averaged 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in two road victories against California Baptist and Incarnate Word.
Sophia has scored double digits on eight separate occasions this season. After the contest with the Lancers, she owns the season high for most points scored in a game.
Through 12 games into the 2019-2020 season, Ramos is on track to put up identical numbers from her freshman year, which earned her conference honors with a spot on the all-freshman team.
Cristian Alvarez is a senior studying journalism. Follow him on Twitter @AlvarezTheViper.
Update: This article was updated Dec. 23 7:01 p.m. to add Ramos’s Mountain West Player of the Week accolade.
