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San Diego State Sports

240

SDSU Women’s Hopes Fading Fast

by Chris Ello on February 21, 2010

Aztec Center Paris Johnson Grabbed Just 4 Rebounds -- None in the First half -- of Sunday's Loss at Utah

Aztec Center Paris Johnson Grabbed Just 4 Rebounds -- None in the First half -- of Sunday's Loss at Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — If anything ever seemed like it was a sure thing, that was it. The San Diego State women’s basketball team, with four starters returning from last year’s 24-8 squad that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and the solid preseason favorites to win this year’s Mountain West Conference championship, would return to the postseason this coming March.

Then again, nothing’s ever a sure thing when it comes to San Diego State sports.  Really, we all should understand that by now.

What’s difficult to understand is what has happened to the lady Aztecs, who were squashed yet again here Sunday afternoon, 73-55, by the Utah Utes. In losing for the fourth time in five games, SDSU (15-10, 7-6 MWC) dropped into a fourth-place tie with Wyoming and New Mexico, three games behind the league-leading pace set by TCU and BYU with three games to play.

A return to the NCAA Tournament seems quite unlikely now, unless SDSU can rediscover its mojo in time for the MWC Postseason Tournament, which gets underway in 2 1/2 weeks. Almost assured of no better than a third- or fourth-place finish in the regular season standings, the Aztecs will have to win three (and maybe four) games in five days to claim an invite to the Big Dance.

“Once again our energy level just wasn’t where it needed to be for 40 full minutes, and that’s disappointing,” said Coach Beth Burns, who had helped cajole this team from also-ran status just three seasons ago to the level of championship contender and a No. 23-national ranking back in November. “We worked so hard the last couple of seasons to get the respect, but we haven’t worked hard enough to keep it.”

Effort — or lack thereof — is as good a place as any to start when trying to figure out SDSU’s many triviales during this trying, and frankly very discouraging season. Utah (16-9, 7-5) simply appeared to want Sunday’s game more, attacking the rim throughout in order to earn a lopsided 21-6 Continue Reading →

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240

SDSU Women’s Hoops: A Team To See

Post image for SDSU Women’s Hoops: A Team To See

by Chris Ello on November 12, 2009

Being as you San Diego State sports fans say you don’t go to games because the product has been poor over the last decade or two, what’s going to be your excuse to not attend the Aztecs’ women’s basketball games this season?

Inconvenienced? Sorry, that won’t work since SDSU plays its games on campus at Viejas Arena, where by the way, it went undefeated last season. Cost? Please. You can take the whole family to a game — and probably grab a couple of hot dogs and a coke — for under $25-dollars.

Don’t really like women’s basketball? Well, just remember that it was the great John Wooden who said that the women are the only ones who actually still play the game the way it was intended to be played. And under Beth Burns, widely regarded as the finest coach anywhere in the city in any sport, you can be assured that her team does play the right way, along with playing as hard for 40 full minutes as any team you’ll see.

There’s no star power. Really? The Aztecs feature senior guard Jene Morris, who just so happens to be on the NCAA’s Preseason All-American team and has been named the Preseason Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference. Alongside her is point guard Quenese Davis, who in just three seasons, is already far and away SDSU’s all-time assists leader. And underneath is junior center Paris Johnson, who was a two-time CIF Section Player of the Year while she was at San Diego High School.

 

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240

A Rare Spring Storm

March 26, 2009

Share SDSU’s men’s basketball team is heading to the Final Four of the NIT for the first time in school history.  Last night’s thrilling, tense, roller-coaster 70-66 win over St. Mary’s at Cox Arena gave this class of seniors every chance possible to exorcise their demons.  They faced a tough team which had beaten them [...]

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