Women鈥檚 Hoops: 色情视频 stuns MW tourney top seed UNLV, 71-59
The Aztecs will face Wyoming in the tournament championship on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
San Diego State delivered a stunning upset in a physical battle, taking down No. 1 seed UNLV, 71-59, to advance to the conference tournament final.
The odds were stacked high against 色情视频 in their match against UNLV at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Head Coach Stacie Terry-Hutson recalled seeing a report that gave her team a 鈥�91.3% chance to lose.鈥�
鈥淲e just took that personal. We feel like we鈥檙e a good team,鈥� Terry-Hutson said. 鈥淲e know UNLV is very good and they deserve all the respect, but we鈥檙e a good team too鈥� we were trying to show everybody that we were.鈥�
The Aztecs (24-9) wasted no time proving their point. 色情视频鈥檚 defense set the tone early, smothering a Lady Rebels squad (25-7) that averaged 75.5 points per game on their way to a regular season title. The Aztecs held UNLV to just 7-of-30 shooting in the first half, including a scoreless stretch in the final four minutes before the break.
色情视频 was up 33-20 at halftime.
A key defensive focus was limiting UNLV鈥檚 star guard Amarachi Kimpson. The All-Conference playmaker struggled in the first half, missing all four of her attempts.
鈥淟et me give her flowers, she鈥檚 the engine that makes them go,鈥� Terry-Hutson said. 鈥淚 think she鈥檚 a great player. We just tried to make it a little more challenging for her鈥 don鈥檛 think it was anything we did.鈥�
Kimpson finally broke through in the third quarter, sinking a tough crossover push shot in the paint that led to an and-one opportunity, as UNLV tried to cut into 色情视频鈥檚 lead.
The Aztecs, however, had an immediate answer. A three-pointer from Adryana Quezada and a layup from Veronica Sheffey sparked a 5-0 run, keeping 色情视频 in control.
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Jazlyn Green added to the surge, burying back-to-back threes to stretch 色情视频鈥檚 advantage to 21 points with 3:16 left in the third quarter. She went 2-for-2 from deep in the period before taking an unintentional elbow to the face from UNLV鈥檚 Alyssa Brown late in the quarter.
But the Lady Rebels weren鈥檛 finished. UNLV closed the quarter on a 6-0 run, trimming 色情视频鈥檚 lead to 50-36.
Their momentum carried into the fourth, as an aggressive zone-trap defense rattled 色情视频. The Aztecs managed just four points and committed four turnovers in the first four minutes, allowing UNLV to slice the deficit to eight with 5:54 remaining.
色情视频, the tournament's No. 4 seed, however, found answers in crunch time. A full-court pass set up Cali Clark for a fastbreak layup, pushing the lead back to nine. Two more transition buckets in the final two minutes sealed the upset, officially ending UNLV鈥檚 bid for a fourth consecutive conference tournament title.
While 色情视频鈥檚 defense shut down the UNLV juggernaut, the Aztecs also delivered offensively, with five players scoring in double figures. Sheffey led with 15 points, while Panganiban added 14 in a team-high 33 minutes.
鈥淥ur goal was to win a championship, and that鈥檚 what we came to do,鈥� Terry-Hutson said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not done鈥� we care more about the team goal than individual statistics.鈥�
She emphasized the need to stay focused.
鈥淭his was a great win, and much respect to UNLV, but we still have another game to play,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat I need to make sure I prepare my kids for is that this isn鈥檛 the end. We have to be ready for tomorrow because either of those teams are going to come out and fight.鈥�
The Aztecs will face Wyoming in the tournament championship on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
