Senior guards Quenese Davis and Jene Morris, the unquestioned leaders of the SDSU women’s basketball team, came to Coach Beth Burns last week and said it was time to turn up the heat.
“They told me that they themselves needed to pick up their defensive intensity,” Burns said. “That’s music to a coach’s ears when your leaders realize they need to start working harder.”
With the defense causing havoc all of the court — a staple of the Aztecs’ second-round NCAA Tournament team a year ago — SDSU ran away from a solid Loyola Marymount team (picked second in preseason WCC polls) on Monday night in Los Angeles, 75-54.
The Aztecs (6-4) have won two straight following a stretch in which they lost four of five and with that their No. 23 national ranking. Missing from the picture then was Davis and Morris, both athletic 5-foot-9 guards getting their hands in passing lanes, prying balls free and helping SDSU turn defense into offense.
The duo was back at it at Gersten Pavilion, however, as the Aztecs pulled away quickly after carrying a 36-26 lead into the break. Seven minutes into the second half SDSU led by 19 as Davis (career-high 26 points) and Morris (16 pionts, all in the second half) starting coming up with loose balls and racing the other way for easy baskets.
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