Nat Martinez and Naomi Panganiban both scored 20-plus, but lock-down defense in the second and third quarters where they allowed only five field goals powered the San Diego State Aztecs to a 64-53 win over the Kansas State Wildcats on Wednesday at Bramlage Coliseum.
It was the first time SDSU’s (6-3) sterling sophomore duo have done so in the same game, with Martinez scoring 22 points while tying her career-high with six made 3’s, and Panganiban netting 20 points with four assists.
“I thought we played a pretty solid half-court defensive game for 40 minutes, what was hurting us in the first half was turnovers and transition buckets, so we focused a lot on that in halftime,” head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said. “We knew we needed to keep the score low — every time that they scored under 60 they lost.”
As important, the Scarlet and Black out-rebounded the Wildcats (6-6), who were coming off a win over No. 13 Ole Miss, by a 39-32 margin and only allowed a 12-6 edge in second chance points for KSU. Alyssa Jackson had a career-high seven rebounds, while Kennedy Lee matched her season high with seven boards and Bailey Barnhard corralled six caroms.
The Aztecs defense allowed just two field goals in a critical third quarter, which saw SDSU outscore the hosts 19-8, pushing the lead out to 14 points when Martinez hit a depth charge in the closing minute that made it 48-34.
It was an appropriate finish for a quarter that saw the Scarlet and Black knock down 7 of 12 shots, with Panganiban scoring 7 points and dishing a pair of assists.
“We’re led by sophomores, and how good we’re going to be is how quickly they grow up, and I think they took a big step this game,” Terry-Hutson said. “They’ve been playing well as of lately… they communicated at a high level and they also defended at a high level.”
Kansas State put together a push in the fourth quarter, dashing off a 9-0 run after Martinez made a pair of 3s in the first 2:12 of the final period. It cut the SDSU lead down to 9 points as the Aztecs missed five in a row from the field, until Barnhard battled for a key combo-breaking bucket.
The message of closing strong, after the Scarlet and Black had allowed Pacific to rally from a 14-point third quarter deficit to come within a single point on Dec. 7.
SDSU iced it the rest of the way, picking up their first true road win of the season.
Through the first quarter, it seemed like the Aztecs could do nothing right.
Four of their first six possessions ended in turnovers, en route to giving the ball away seven times in the opening 10 minutes. Triples by Panganiban and Martinez gave the visitors a brief 7-6 lead at the 3:43 mark, but KSU scored 12 of the final 14 points for an 18-11 edge, powered in large part to a 9-1 edge on the fast break.
The game turned in a big way just past three minutes into the second stanza, as after Aniya’ Foy made a 3 and a layup to twice push the Wildcats lead out to 8 points, SDSU’s defense turned the mood.
Over the final 6:51, the Aztecs forced misses on 7 of 8 K-State shots and did not allow a second chance opportunity. Jackson played a key part by snatching five of her career-high seven rebounds for the game in the quarter, while Lee grabbed three of her seven boards.
All the while the offense found its footing, with Panganiban sparking a 12-0 run with a jumper. Naomi would score 7 points on the run as she added a 3-pointer, while Martinez also hit from deep and Lee converted a layup.
The Scarlet and Black outscored K-State 14-3 heading into the break, taking a 29-26 lead.
Mountain West Conference play opens for the Aztecs at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17 with a trip to the SaveMart Center to face the Fresno State Bulldogs. SDSU’s conference home opener will be against the Boise State Broncos, tipping a 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20 at Viejas Arena.
“I told them at halftime, I said ‘I wouldn’t want anybody else in this locker room, and what messes me up, upsets me the most, is when we don’t live up to our potential,’” Terry-Hutson said.
“We can compete with anybody in the country, and I thought we actually showed that today.”