The San Diego State Women's Basketball team is looking for redemption from their loss in the Mountain West Tournament Championship game last season, but first Cal State San Marcos on Monday night at 6 p.m. in the season opener at Viejas Arena.
The Aztecs went 22-13 last year and had 45 wins over the past two seasons but the team hadn't been in a championship game in 10 years before last season so, to say the least the stakes are high.
"It is definitely about redemption. You know, last year, not to put it all on one game, but we went up to UNLV and got blown out, and we were able to recover and put together some really good basketball after that," said head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson. "Getting to that championship game and getting a taste of that really felt like we deserved to be there. So I think they came back with a little confidence. So redemption...is really what it's about,"
The Aztecs have seven players in their fourth year or later and four in the fifth year or later (Meghan Fiso, Jazlen Green, Adryana Quezada and Kim Villalobos). SDSU was one of 21 schools that didn’t lose any players to the transfer portal. Two key players, Quezada and Villalobos have returned this season as leaders for the underclassmen.
"We were one of very few schools that didn't have anybody leave, which is a testament to San Diego State, the resources that we have and the coaching staff - these kids wanted to be here, they chose to be here," Terry-Hutson said. "That leadership that you're talking about with those seniors and the transfers that came in that are seniors really have pushed us over the top.
"We're in a situation where we have a chance to be great and I think they knew that coming into the season and with them staying and with the addition of the new kids, I think you'll see a lot of good basketball and us growing as a unit as the season progresses."
Quezda was on the preseason All-Mountain West team and averaged a team-high 14.0 points per game last year and became the first Aztec in the Mountain West era (since 1999) to shoot at least 50% from the field and 80% from the line. Villalobos received a Mountain West honorable mention selection last season and became the second Aztec in the Mountain West era to have at least 300 points, 200 rebounds, 75 assists and 50 steals in a season. She was the only player in the conference to finish in the top 10 in rebounds, assists and steals.
Both Quezada and Villalobos have over 1,000 career points and 600 career rebounds. Quezada has scored 1,314 points and collected 644 rebounds (14.3 and 7.0 per game). Villalobos has 1,003 points and 648 rebounds but the job still wasn't complete without the championship win.
"I think it just showed we were really committed... We got to the championship, we didn't win," Villalobos said. "I think it just showed how committed we are to this program, to getting to the championship and winning it this year, actually. I think (Quezada and I) both felt like we were so close, but we still had, like, work to be done."
The Aztecs have six newcomers, led by transfers Veronica Sheffey (San Diego) and Cali Clark (Colorado State). Sheffey, a point guard, was an All-WCC Second Team selection last year and Clark, a 6’3” forward, appeared in over 100 games at Colorado State. The program hasn't had true post players and point guards in the recent years but now positions are being filled on the court. Rebounding on the ball side should be improving because of the height component with the addition of Clark.
"We have two true point guards that can help us play with pace... then getting Erin (Houpt) back from injury and adding some other shooters in our freshman class, we're going to shoot the ball well," Terry-Hutson said. "So we'll open up the for for AD (Quezada), Kim (Villalobos) and Callie (Clark) to really post up and then knock down shots in the perimeter.
"I just think we're a well rounded, versatile team with a lot of depth and I think that's going to help."
Houpt suffered a season-ending leg injury last year but kept her knowledge on the game in top shape until her return.
"I had to watch a lot. So, I mean, the only thing I really could do for a while was study the game, study what they're doing, and I think that did help and I came back ready to play," Houpt said.
The 5' 6" guard transferred from Mercer and has a career 3-point percentage of 41.2% and averaged 12.6 points in 2022-23 while leading the nation in free-throw percentage (93.9%).
"Erin is the hardest working player on my team, hands down. She worked her tail off to get back from injury, was ahead of schedule - we had to slow her down," Terry Hutson said. "She has the heart of a lion."
Redshirt freshman and 2023-24 Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year Trinity Zamora is about four weeks out until she can return to the court. Zamora began one on one training and organized workouts recently.
Not only will head coach Terry-Hutson ultilize her returning players and transfers, she hopes to use her incoming freshmen. The Aztecs have four true freshmen, including two from San Diego: F Bailey Barnhard (San Diego), Kaelyn Hamilton (McKinney, Texas), Natalia Martinez (San Leandro, Calif.) and Naomi Panganiban (San Diego). She describes her freshmen as tough and skillful with a lot of fight in them.
"They're just really good human beings, just a great addition," Terry-Hutson said. "I gotta figure out how I'm gonna play them all and keep them all here because they're gonna be really good basketball players in an Aztec uniform."
What should we expect from the team this year?
Expecting consistency every single game is Terry-Hutson's goal, as well as, reaching their highest potential in March.
"I'm not sure what we're going to look like on Monday, but I'm hoping that we'll look our best in March. So we're going to really try to play aggressive, both offensive and defensively, get after some people with our pressure and then play fast but under control," Terry Hutson said. "So I think it's going to be a fun brand of basketball to watch... we're going to get after it, play hard, and that toughness and grit you're going to see every time we're together."
This is the first regular season meeting between the two programs. The NCAA DII Cougars went 27-7 last year and advanced to the Elite Eight and finished the season No. 5 in the country. They have made four consecutive NCAA West Regional appearances. This is also their season opener, although the game counts as an exhibition for them. Head coach Jana Pearson is in her first season as the Cougars’ head coach. She had been an assistant at Westmont College for the last three seasons and replaces Renee Jimenez, who is now the head coach at UC Santa Barbara.