Can the Aztecs Rebound After a Close Battle with Lady Rebels at Viejas Arena?
In a closely contested encounter, the San Diego State Aztecs fell short against the visiting Lady Rebels, with a final score of 67-60. The Lady Rebels improved their record to 25-0 while the Aztecs now stand at 0-1. Despite an energetic fourth quarter rally by the home team, it was not enough to overcome their opponents' lead.
The game started off with the Lady Rebels establishing an early advantage, outscoring the Aztecs 15-10 in the first quarter. However, San Diego State's defense tightened in the second quarter, holding UNLV to just five points and closing some of their initial deficit to trail by only three points at halftime. The third quarter saw UNLV regaining control and extending their lead with a dominant performance that yielded them 23 points.
The fourth quarter showcased San Diego State's resilience as they mounted a comeback attempt. The Aztecs scored 23 points in this period alone, which was their highest-scoring quarter of the game. Their defensive efforts were highlighted by an impressive total of ten blocks throughout the contest compared to UNLV's three.
Offensively for San Diego State, field goal attempts were abundant but only 33 percent found their mark from field goals overall and just 18 percent from beyond the arc on seventeen attempts. However, they excelled at free throw shooting with an exceptional accuracy rate of 90 percent on nineteen attempts.
On defense, both teams grabbed forty rebounds each; however, it was notable that San Diego State managed ten offensive boards contributing to ten second-chance points. They also capitalized on turnovers better than UNLV did; scoring fourteen points off turnovers thanks to eight steals during play.
Despite these efforts and leading in several statistical categories such as blocks and free throw percentage, it wasn't enough for SDSU against UNLV’s balanced attack which saw them shooting at a higher percentage both from two-point range (45 percent) and overall field goal percentage (40 percent).
Looking ahead for fans of San Diego State Aztecs basketball team is another opportunity for victory when they host San Jose State Spartans at Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl located in sunny San Diego on January 20th starting promptly at 3:00 PM Pacific Time. This upcoming match can be followed live where fans are sure to gather hoping for an exciting game day experience.