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
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 →
by Chris Ello on February 4, 2010
Coco Davis Stepped Up Against Air Force With A Career-High 10 Assists
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Good basketball teams all have star players. Championship basketball teams all have something more important. Call them under-appreciated. Call them unsung. Or even the dreaded “role players.”
Just make sure that when you call them, they’re there.
The San Diego State women’s basketball team has a couple of very good ones, whatever you want to call them. Against Air Force here Wednesday night, power forward Jessika Bradley dominated on the inside with 13 points, five rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals, while off-guard Coco Davis set a career-high with 10 assists to go along with six rebounds. Together they helped to keep the Aztecs together in a 68-48 victory which closed out the first half of Mountain West Conference play.
SDSU (14-6, 6-2) sits atop the conference standings along with TCU (also 6-2 MWC). Both BYU and New Mexico are 5-3 and just one game back. The Aztecs will host New Mexico Saturday afternoon (12:30 p.m.) at Viejas Arena.
“For us to continue to be successful and to get the job done in the second half of the conference season, we’re going to need contributions from a lot of different players,” said SDSU Coach Beth Burns. “It was nice in this game to see everybody step up.”
The Aztecs, of course, are led by preseason conference Player of the Year Jene Morris and fellow first-team all-MWC center Paris Johnson. Senior point guard Quenese Davis, second-team all-conference a year ago and the school’s all-time assists leader, completes the triumvirate. Those three are the cover girls on the SDSU Media Guide, but Bradley and Davis — who’s Quenese’s younger sister — are equally important to SDSU’s success.
Bradley, a junior transfer from Baylor, leads the Aztecs in rebounding this season, averaging nearly eight boards a game and contributing the same number of points. When she’s helping to control the paint, as she did Wednesday, things open up even more for Johnson, who scored 17 points to lead SDSU against the Falcons.
Meanwhile, Coco Davis normally plays somewhat in the shadow of her big sister. But against Air Force (3-18, 0-8) she stepped center stage and allowed SDSU to pick apart the Falcons’ matchup zone defense with her pinpoint passing to the interior. SDSU scored 48 points in the paint, jumping Continue Reading →
