SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State women’s basketball team relied on their toughness and competitiveness down the stretch, holding on to top the University of the Pacific Tigers 70-68 on Sunday afternoon at Viejas Arena.
Namoi Panganiban led all scorers with 17 points during the Aztecs’ (5-3) Filipino Heritage game, while Kennedy Lee added 14 points, Nat Martinez had 12 points and four assists and Nala Williams added 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
"It was so awesome to be able to represent my Filipino culture, my family, and just seeing everybody there and hearing the national anthem of the Philippines (before the game) made me a little emotional just to be on that stage and represent, it's awesome," Panganiban said.
It was only appropriate that Panganiban knocked down three 3-pointers, the same as the number of stars on the Pambansang Watawat—the national flag of the Philippines. She helped the Scarlet and Black get off to a blistering start from downtown, hitting nine from 3-point land in the first half and 11 for the game.
"We have a lot of people that can show up at any night, so just to have that, it's a huge relief off each other and to play together, it's a great help," Panganiban said after the Aztecs made it 25 wins in their past 27 games when having three or more players score in double-figures.
However the hot shooting that staked SDSU to a 13-point halftime lead cooled considerably in the third as Pacific (4-5) dialed up the pressure and used the elevated pace to generate shots before the Aztec defense could get set. Meanwhile, at the opposite end they faced newly mixed in trapping zone coverage that prevented the Scarlet and Black offense from getting into rhythm.
"It was just staying composed, we talked in the huddle, 'just do our thing'... but also don't let them get an O-board and staying locked in, so I think we did a good job of that," Panganiban said.
With the Tigers making 57.1% (8 of 14) from the field in the quarter, getting baskets from six different players, while the Aztecs shot 6 of 18, the 9-point scoring edge by the visitors trimmed the lead to 57-53 after the third.
"They made some tough shots too in the second half with a hand in their face, credit to them, but we were able to get stops when it mattered," said head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said.
It came as close as a 1-point edge when Stella Szabo hit a 3-pointer at 7:18, but SDSU’s guards went to work, with Martinez knocking down a transition triple off a Williams feed and then Nala scoring on a drive the following possession. It was part of the guard trio scoring 9 points for the Aztecs.
That set up a key high-low play where the Pacific defense lost Alyssa Jackson underneath, and Lee found her on the back cut for a reverse layup that proved the game-winner with 1:35 remaining.
"They were switching, so we ran a play where we created the switch and we had the (guard) on Alyssa and she did a great job burying her — there was nothing she could do, it was a great pass by Kennedy and I thought it was a tough finish," Terry-Hutson said.
The Tigers got a left wing 3-pointer from Sydney Ward to make it a one-possession game again and had a chance for the final shot, but Nyah Lowery’s contested left flat hit the heel.
The Aztecs got off to a fast start, knocking down their first three shots before missing six in a row over a four minute stretch despite holding the early 5-point lead. Williams broke the spell with a 3, but Pacific would take their first lead at the 2:37 mark, 11-10, on the opening quarter’s only free throws by Winner Bartholomew.
SDSU responded by hitting from deep on their final four possessions of the quarter, with Panganiban getting the lead back 10 seconds later and then CJ Latta hitting a left wing depth charge on a second chance opportunity. Panganiban closed the quarter by taking the final inbound with 5.3 seconds left, springing up the left sideline and pulling up a a buzzer-beating triple for a 22-15 lead.
The Scarlet and Black scored on their final four possessions of the first and opening four of the second quarters, building a 14-point lead on Kennedy Lee’s 3-pointer from straight away that capped a 7-0 run. The lead wouldn’t dip below 10, as SDSU allowed the Tigers to get back-to-back buckets just once in the quarter and twice in the opening half.
Kaelyn Hamilton scored her first 5 points off the bench, knocking down a pair of free throws and then hitting a right corner 3, as Latta added another from downtown to account for all 11 first half bench points. The Aztecs also had nine 3-pointers that played a major role in taking a 44-31 lead at the break.
San Diego State closes out the non-conference slate with a Big 12 road trip to Kansas State, facing the 5-5 Wildcats at 9 a.m. PT on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Bramlage Coliseum. Then, after a week-long break, the Aztecs open Mountain West Conference play at Fresno State at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 17.
“The physicality bothered us from Penn State and Maryland Eastern Shore in the Bahamas… I didn’t think it bothered us as much (tonight)" Terry Hutson said. "I’m just hoping we can continue to grow in those areas so we can get better and better in those areas for 40 minutes.”
This story was updated at 10:11 p.m.