FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State played within San Diego State's lead up into the final seconds but a missed basket secured the Aztecs win at the Save Mart Center on Wednesday night, 61-57.
How it happened
San Diego State opened the scoring before Mariah Elohim answered on the following possession to get the 'Dogs on the board. Mia Jacobs then turned a San Diego State turnover to the basket for another set of points to give the 'Dogs their first lead of the game, 4-2. After a quick jumper by Kylee Fox put the Bulldogs in front for a short lead. San Diego State finished the last two minutes on a 7-0 run to give the Aztecs a six point lead, 14-8.
San Diego hit their highest scoring period of the night at 17 points as they held the Bulldogs to nine. Taija Sta. Maria stepped onto the court for the first time in twenty games (Nov. 4) grabbing a defensive board. A 7-6 run in favor of the Aztecs opened the following ten. San Diego built to their biggest lead at 14 with a 6-0 scoring run. Konstantinidou attempted to nick it with a 2-of-2 trip to the charity line, but Aztecs quickly rebounded with a layup in the final second.
Fresno State came out of the half with a new tempo to drop 21 points and hold the Aztecs to 14. A quick seven points from Saga Ukkonnen on three consecutive possessions cut San Diego State's lead to single digits, 33-24.
Aztec's then responded with two baskets by Quezada to restore their double digit lead. Maria Konstantinidou's layup brought the 'Dogs within ten again with just over five to play, 41-31. 'Dogs ended holding San Diego State to only four points in the last five minutes. Danae Powell's two-point jump shot continued the momentum for the 'Dogs heading into the fourth quarter, in the final second.
Fresno State hit another surge outscoring San Diego State 19-to-16 for an attempt at the lead but fell short in the final seconds. Fox let it rip with a deep three to see a four point opportunity at grabbing the lead. Aztecs built it back up to seven with under a minute to play. Fresno State notched eight points in the final forty-three seconds in the last attempt to change the game. Ukkonen banked a much needed three-pointer to cut the Aztecs seven point lead in the final eleven seconds. Fresno State got the better end on a San Diego turnover with eight seconds to play. Elohim's last chance three-pointer at the buzzer hit the rim to call game.
Notable
Fresno State drops to 15-9, 6-4 MW
Bulldogs see their fourth home loss of the season
Kylee Fox led the Bulldogs in scoring with 15 points
Taija Sta. Maria saw her first bite of action on the court since Nov. 4
With her 15th double-double this season, Mia Jacobs marks the longest streak of her career at four
Fresno State outscored the Aztecs in the second half (21-14) and (19-16)
Both team posted 16 turnovers but Fresno State saw 14 points off those to SDSU's 12
Bulldogs best quarter was the third after shooting 72% (8-11) from the field, 75% (3-4) from the three
Up next: Fresno State (15-9, 6-5 MW) takes a quick road trip to Logan to visit Utah State (2-20, 1-9 MW) on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Tip off against the Aggies is set for 1 p.m. PT/ 2 p.m. MT streaming live on the Mountain West Network.
