The women’s basketball team was able to eke out a 66-63 win against the San Diego State Aztecs at The Pit on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The Lobos are now in second place in the Mountain West Conference with a record of 20-9 and 11-5 in conference play with two games remaining in the regular season.
Last time these teams met, the Aztecs were able to beat the Lobos 60-53. With this win, the Lobos have now split the season series.
To beat San Diego State, Head Coach Mike Bradbury said they have to play their best.
“Every game we play with San Diego State is like this – whether it’s here, there or at a tournament, every game comes down to the last minute. You have to be at your best to beat them,” Bradbury said.
In the first quarter, it was evident that this game was going to be a heavyweight bout as both teams came out swinging offensively and set the tone for the match – being physical on both sides of the ball.
The Lobos got most of their offensive production from the free throw line as they shot 14 free throws in the first quarter, making 11 of them. The Lobos lead 18-17 to end the first quarter.
At the beginning of the second quarter, both offenses stayed aggressive getting points in the paint. Despite the great production on the inside, the Lobos could not buy a bucket from the three-point line as they shot 1-9 in the half. Nevertheless, the Lobos kept it close as they trailed 33-31 going into half.
The third quarter was much of the same as both teams showed no sign of slowing down. During the final stretch of the third, the Lobos displayed great defense and got multiple stops. That was enough to swing the lead back to the Lobos as they led 48-46 going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter had every fan on the edge of their seats as the teams swapped the lead back and forth the entire quarter. With 1:13 remaining, the Lobos trailed 59-58 until junior guard Aniyah Augmon hit a tough layup to give the Lobos a one point lead.
The following defensive possession, junior guard Nyah Wilson got a steal and was able to draw a foul. Wilson then hit two clutch free throws to extend the score to 62-59. That stop and score switched the momentum in the Lobos favor; from there, they were able to finish the job and seal the win.
Wilson felt like there was no pressure when she had to shoot her free throws.
“Once I got to the free throw line, it was no pressure to me. Just knowing I shoot these everyday, (I had to) just lock in and focus on what I had to do,” Wilson said.
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The Lobos next game is against the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday, Mar. 7 for the final regular season game at The Pit.
Rodney Prunty is a freelance sports reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Rprunty05
