After dropping their season opener to No. 3 UCLA, the San Diego State women’s basketball team has rattled off three straight wins, improving to 3–1 as they cruised past Cal State Bakersfield (0–4) with a 78–48 victory on Saturday afternoon at Viejas Arena.
It was a defensive showcase for SDSU. The Aztecs allowed just 14 total field goals and, at one point, held the Roadrunners scoreless from the field for 20 minutes, an extended defensive stand that put the game out of reach. After the 6:37 mark in the second quarter, Bakersfield wouldn’t make another field goal until 6:48 remained in the fourth, managing to score only from the free-throw line in the meantime.
Offensively, SDSU’s guards dictated the pace from start to finish. Nala Williams delivered her best performance as an Aztec, posting a career-high 25 points along with 10 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass. Naomi Panganiban finished with 13 points while Nat Martinez added eight, helping the Aztecs’ guard unit produce most of the team’s offensive output.
The Aztecs controlled nearly every aspect of the game, though the one area they struggled was from beyond the arc, shooting just 26.7%. Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson pointed to her team’s resilience despite the off night from deep.
“My question mark for this team was, Can we find ways to win when we’re not shooting at a high level? Can we find ways to win when things aren’t going our way?” Terry-Hutson said. “There was some adversity today, and I was happy to see they were able to figure it out.”
Despite the cold night shooting, SDSU’s win marked its third straight victory by 20 or more points. The Aztecs have won their last three games by an average margin of 37 points.
But even after a dominant showing and another lockdown defensive effort, Terry-Hutson believes her team has more room to grow.
“I’m looking to go from good to great,” she said. “We’re really not coaching the score. We’re playing for the next play, the next game, the next opponent. I actually think we could have done a lot better defensively.”
The Aztecs remain at home, hoping to build on their growing winning streak and continue their push toward greatness when they host the Santa Clara Broncos on November 19.