SDSU WOMEN’S HOOPS UPENDS ARIZONA ON THE ROAD 78-67
Aztecs move to 5-2 on the year Source: goaztecs.com Photo: McKynzie Fort tallied a season-high 26 points at Arizona on Sunday. Courtesy goaztecs.com December 3, 2017 (Tucson) – Senior McKynzie Fort scored a season-high 26 points to help the San Diego State women’s basketball team to a 78-67 conquest of Arizona in a nonconference game Sunday at McKale Center. Fort shot 58.3 percent from the floor on 7-of-12 field-goal attempts and matched her career-best with an 11-for-12 effort at the free-throw line, as the Aztecs won their second straight and snapped a five-game losing streak against Pac-12 schools dating back to December 2012. With the victory, SDSU sits a 5-2, marking its best seven-game start to a season since the 2007-08 squad went 6-1. Conversely, the Wildcats dropped their fifth straight to fall to 2-5 on the year. In addition to Fort’s heroics, the Aztecs received double-digit scoring totals from freshman Najé Murray (13 points and senior Geena Gomez (12 points), who tied for game-high honors with seven assists. Sophomore Baylee Vanderdoes also got into the act with six rebounds to tie Fort for the team lead, while senior Khalia Lark finished with seven points and five boards of her own. Despite getting outscored 30-18 in the paint, SDSU more than made up for it with an 11-for-21 effort (52.3 percent) from beyond the three-point arc to go with a 21-for-25 display (84 percent) at the charity stripe. Clinging to a 69-67 lead, the Aztecs cemented the win after sinking seven of eight free throws in the final three minutes of the contest. The two teams battled through seven ties and three lead changes before SDSU built a 36-25 bulge on a Fort jumper with 2:29 left in the second quarter. Arizona responded with a 19-8 surge through intermission to tie the score at 44-44 by the 5:09 mark of the third quarter. JaLea Bennett scored 10 points during that span, while Destiny Graham added six. However, the Aztecs quickly answered with a pivotal 13-2 blitz to vault in front for good. Senior Cheyenne Greenhouse sank two free throws to cap the run, giving the Scarlet and Black another 11-point cushion at 57-46 with 18 seconds to go in the period. The Wildcats remained within striking distance for much of the fourth quarter, twice narrowing the gap to two, including a 69-67 spread following a Graham basket at the 3:05 mark, but could draw no closer. Arizona was paced by Bennett’s 23 points, Graham totaled 14 in the loss. The host school also received 12 points from Sam Thomas, while Sammy Fatkin finished with 11, including a trio of three-pointers. San Diego State opens a three-game homestand on Friday, Dec. 8 when it plays host to UC Irvine in a matinee at Steve Fisher Court, starting at noon PT. Box
SDSU FOOTBALL TO PLAY ARMY WEST POINT IN LOCKHEED MARTIN ARMED FORCES BOWL
Aztecs will look to win 11th game for third straight season Source: goaztecs.com Photo courtesy goaztecs.com December 3, 2017 (San Diego) – The San Diego State football team has accepted an invitation to play Army West Point in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be played at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, and will be broadcast nationally by ESPN. The Aztecs (10-2) have won four consecutive games by a combined score of 157-47 and have reached double-digits in wins for a school-record third straight season. Army West Point, meanwhile, is 8-3 and plays Navy this Saturday (Dec. 9) in Philadelphia. It will be the eighth consecutive bowl appearance for SDSU (longest streak in school history) and 16th bowl appearance overall (12th in Division I play). San Diego State will be playing in the Armed Forces Bowl for the first time. The Aztecs are 2-0 all-time against the Black Knights, winning 23-20 at Army in 2011 and 42-7 at home in 2012. “We are extremely excited to announce that the United States Military Academy and San Diego State University will square off at Amon G. Carter Stadium this year,” Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl executive director Brant Ringler said. “We are honored to host Army West Point for the second time and to have a service academy playing in the game for the ninth time in the past 11 years. We also are very pleased to be able to bring in a strong San Diego State program that has enjoyed so much success this year and over the past decade. “This promises to be an exciting matchup between two talented, well-coached teams,” Ringler said. “We are looking forward to welcoming both programs and their great fans to Fort Worth in a little over two weeks.” The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, played in honor of the armed forces of the United States, is the only collegiate football bowl game that has hosted all three U.S. Military Academy football teams. Air Force has appeared in the game five times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2015), while Navy has played twice (2013, 2016). Army, which made its debut in 2010, will be making its second appearance. The annual game has featured the “armed forces” theme since 2006. Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of service are prevalent throughout the game. Past Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest adventure areas showcasing armed forces hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military’s top skydiving teams; custom homes awarded to wounded warriors; on-field induction ceremonies; armed forces bands and honor guards; and the annual Great American Patriot Award presented by Armed Forces Insurance.