SAN DIEGO – The margin between the San Diego State women’s basketball team and Colorado State has been slim in both meetings, but this time it was the Aztecs’ hard-nosed finishing edge on offense that put away a 64-61 win on Wednesday night at Viejas Arena.
SDSU (19-4, 13-1 Mountain West) made four of their final seven shots, with Nala Williams nailing a tough tear-drop pull-up to kick off a stretch of three in a row punctuated by a right-elbow jumper by Maria Konstantinidou that proved the decisive bucket.
"It was playing for each other, we played for each other... Nala drove to the basket, she's a great player, she can do that and we know that, and Colorado State knows that too, so they help in and we had to be ready to hit those shots when she kicks the ball," Konstantinidou said.
Kaelyn Hamilton equaled her career-high with 15 points, previously set at Colorado State (18-7, 9-5), while Williams added 14 points with a game-best three assists and Naomi Panganiban scored 14 points despite being limited by foul trouble.
"I thought we were able to adjust in the second half and give us just a little bit of space and a little bit confidence down the stretch," said head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson. "I thought our defense carried us in the fourth quarter, and when we bought into the offensive game plan in the third and fourth, I think we had a little bit of separation."
The lead changed hands 13 times, equaling the most in regulation for the Aztecs this season, and was tied nine times. The Scarlet and Black tied the game on a Panganiban jumper and then took an advantage on a Nat Martinez triple with 1:45 left in the third quarter that capped a 7-0 spurt.
But Panganiban picked up her fourth personal with 0.8 seconds remaining in the third when the official ruled she was in the landing area of Jadyn Fife. Her two made free-throws, part of the Rams going 16-for-20 at the line to SDSU’s 11-for-14 in the game, gave the visitors a 49-48 lead to end the quarter.
It was short lived, as Hamilton got open for a corner 3-pointer on the Aztecs’ first possession of the fourth quarter for a lead that SDSU would never relinquish.
"We kned that they were going to switch, and we knew we were going to be in situations where our point guard was on their (post player), so we worked really hard and broke that down quite a bit." Terry-Hutson said. "The luck favors the prepared, and I thought we did a great job preparing and they executed down the stretch."
A big part was the defending down the stretch, as after CSU had shot 42.5% from the field over the first 30 minutes, the Aztecs held the Rams to just 3 of 13 shooting in the final frame. Konstantinidou played a huge role, playing 8:23 of her season-high 25:28 and helping limit good looks in low. The 6-foot-2 forward finished with 4 points and seven rebounds.
"This year is a different role than I had on my old team, knowing that my role is to rebound, set good screens, help my teammates out to score and also being ready to score myself...and then rotating on defense, getting stops and being present," Konstantinidou said.
After it seemed like there was a lid on the rims when the two teams met in Fort Collins, both teams shot significantly better in a first quarter that saw the two sides score more points than in the entire first half of the initial game.
Panganiban opened by scoring 7 of the first 9 points for SDSU and making the first three Scarlet and Black buckets. Nat Martinez also played a big part in the 18-16 edge through the first frame, drawing three fouls and knocking down all four at the stripe, and would finish with 8 points for the game.
However, Lexus Bargesser made a pair from beyond the arc, equaling the Rams entire output from downtown the first time around. It extended the Aztecs’ defensive coverage, creating more space in the mid-range and lanes to get the ball inside.
"We were prepared to go small to match their guard play because that's how they played in the first quarter...we had to stay with our bigger line up because (Madelyn) Bragg was hurting us in the paint, and Maria came in and did a great job on her. Not only on (Bragg), but helping when those drives came," Terry-Hutson said.
Bargesser finished with a game-tops 16 points and drew seven fouls. Brooke Carlson also added 15 points and Bragg had 7 points for the Rams, who outscored SDSU 26-18 in the paint for the game.
In the second quarter CSU put together a 7-0 run to take a 4-point lead at the 6:38 mark, which the returning Williams put an end to with her second depth charge. It sparked a 7-0 SDSU run that saw Bailey Barnhard convert an and-one on a step-through and then Martinez split a pair at the line.
But the Aztecs also ran into foul trouble for a pair of key players, as Williams watched the final 3:07 of the half after picking up her second personal. More troubling was Panganiban getting dinged for her third personal on a charge with just under two minutes before the break, which saw SDSU hold a 30-28 edge.
With the win SDSU remained in first place in the Mountain West, and got additional breathing room thanks to an 82-72 win by eighth-place Wyoming at second-place UNLV. Both the Lady Rebels and Boise State, who notched their 10th win in a row by beating Fresno State 60-52 at home, are now tied for second with 11-3 records in conference, two games back of the Scarlet and Black.
The Aztecs head out for a road game against the Nevada Wolf Pack, who the Scarlet and Black dispatched 67-54 at Viejas Arena on Jan. 31. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Lawlor Events Center in Reno. The game will be streamed on the Mountain West Network, with an audio-only stream available on GoAztecs.com.
This story was updated at 10:04 p.m.