SAN DIEGO – Forecasts don’t have rain arriving in the region until Friday, but the San Diego State Aztecs women’s basketball team let loose a downpour from downtown in their 91-70 win over CSUN on Wednesday evening at Viejas Arena.
Kennedy Lee had a career night with 24 points and added a lightning-bolt of energy with seven 3-pointers. Nala Williams scored 17 points and dished a game-best six assists, while Naomi Panganiban netted 15 points and made all six of her free throws.
Lee’s seven makes from downtown were one off the program record set by Carmelia Bloodsaw in 1991 and equaled by Falisha Wright in 1993. The Aztecs (2-1) have made 10-or-more 3-pointers in all three of their games this season after making 13 against the Matadors (1-2); SDSU had only three-such games against DI opponents and four overall last season.
Somewhat unbelievably, the game opened with the Scarlet and Black making just 2 of their first 11 from the field while trailing for nearly seven minutes of the opening quarter. But Bailey Barnard hit a triple with five seconds remaining to start the cloud-burst.
The Aztecs soaked the strings to start the second, scoring the first 14 points of the frame that extended a quarter-straddling run to 18 straight points. SDSU scored on straight possessions, with Lee knocking down three of the five 3’s the Aztecs made over the stretch to take a 31-19 lead.
After the Matadors’ stopped the run with back-to-back scores, Lee got loose for a pair more triples, giving her a career-high five from downtown in the opening 20 minutes. Panganiban continued to get to the line and converted, then was able to get her mid-range game going with a trio of makes as she had 12 and Lee notched 17 points as the SDSU lead was 50-31 at the break.
Out of the locker room the Aztecs continued to pour it on, scoring the first ten points of the second half as Williams, Martinez and Panganiban all hit from beyond the arc. With a 30-point lead established, the SDSU attack shifted to looking to do more from the mid-range and driving while incorporating the bench.
Williams scored 11 of her 17 points in the second half, while SDSU also got multiple makes from the field from Lee, Alyssa Jackson and Maria Konstantinidou.
CSUN was able to put together a 20-2 run after the game was well past decided, trimming down the Aztecs’ game-high lead of 39 points with seven minutes to play on a Williams layup.
In the first quarter, a Williams drive opened things up for a dropoff to Lee for a lay-in, SDSU missed nine of their next 10 from the field, as CSUN took the lead by knocking down three 3-pointers. A steal and score from Williams was the only Scarlet and Black points from the field over a near-six minute stretch until Kaelyn Hamilton made a driving bank off the back window.
Free-throw shooting helped the Aztecs stay within two-possessions during the drought, as Panganiban made all four of hers from the line. Going 8-of-11 from the stripe set the table, but the lid seemed to finally come off the rim when Barnhard knocked down SDSU’s first 3-pointer with five second left and cut the deficit to 19-17 after one.
The women’s basketball team continues their four-game opening home stand against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, Nov. 15 with tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m.
This story will be updated.