Aztec Women Taken for Ride Against Fullerton

Before Wednesday night’s game against Cal State Fullerton, the San Diego State women’s basketball team had not played away from home since Dec. 1.

Against the Titans, the Aztecs looked like a team that had been home for a long time. They appeared lost on the road and were beaten, 73-65, in Titan Gym.

The victory boosted the Titans’ record to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in the Western Collegiate Athletic Assn. SDSU, ranked 13th, fell to 14-5 overall and 3-2 in the conference.

“I don’t want to make any excuses but playing on the road was probably a factor,” Aztec Coach Earnest Riggins said. “We missed a lot of easy shots and we came out flat. There were a lot of contributing factors and I guess sometimes that just happens on the road.”

With the victory Fullerton holds the upper hand in the race for third place, and an automatic NCAA playoff bid, in the WCAA.

The Aztecs did not score on their first 11 possessions of the game, turning the ball over five times.

Fullerton was 6-0 by the time Shelda Arceneaux hit a baseline jumper six minutes into the contest.

Titan forward Meg Gallagher played an important role in Fullerton’s first-half surge. She scored 13 points before the break helping Fullerton to a 36-22 halftime advantage. The halftime score could have been worse, but Fullerton committed 16 turnovers to help the Aztecs stay close.

San Diego State’s high-scoring Tina Hutchinson had as much trouble as her teammates. She shot just two-for-seven in the first half and didn’t score until the 6:58 mark. By the time she connected again, Fullerton was in command, 23-12, with 6:27 left.

Hutchinson, who had trouble breaking free from Fullerton’s rugged man-to-man defense, wound up with just 12 points--most of which came after the outcome had been decided.

“We’ve been playing a good man-to-man defense all season,” Fullerton Coach Chris Gobrecht said. “That’s what we do best, and we did it well tonight.”

Led by Gallagher, Fullerton built a 21-point lead midway through the second half before cruising to victory.

The victory was made easier because of inconsistent officiating according to Riggins.

“Our kids were getting held and pushed and there were no calls,” Riggins said. “I don’t know what’s been going on, but I do know that the officiating has been terrible all season long.”

Despite Riggins’ complaint, the Aztecs were called for only two more fouls than the Titans, 30-28. But it was the Aztecs’ inability to connect from the line (21 of 31) that cost them any chance of rallying.

“Despite all of the other things, if we hit our free throws, we win the game,” Riggins said. “We kept missing the front end of the one-and-one’s.”

And Gallagher kept scoring--22 points in all--to keep Fullerton ahead.

The road doesn’t get any easier for San Diego State, which travels to Los Angeles to face No. 8 USC on Monday. The Aztecs will then play four more road games before returning to Peterson Gym Feb. 20 where they will again face Fullerton.

“We’ll have to take a look at some things now,” Riggins said. “Luckily, we have some time before we play USC.”