Foul Ending for Garnes, Aztecs

The whistle blew with 1:51 left in a tied game, and the official pointed at San Diego State’s Kieishsha Garnes.

The Aztec women’s basketball team had been pointing to her all afternoon, feeding the ball inside to their 6-foot-3 junior center. Creighton had also been pointing to her for the entire game, sagging three and sometimes as many as four players around her defensively.

But when the whistle blew, signaling Garnes’ fifth foul, the end came for the Aztecs. Garnes went to the bench, taking her 44 points and 12 rebounds with her.

Moments later, SDSU dropped a 78-75 first-round Western Athletic Conference tournament game to Creighton in front of 662 Friday in Wyoming’s Arena-Auditorium.

Creighton (22-6) advances to today’s championship game against Utah. The Aztecs (14-14) go home after maybe the best performance of the season by this year’s WAC player of the year.

Garnes, who started the afternoon averaging 23 points a game, made 17 of 28 field goal attempts and 10 of 15 free throws and surpassed the former WAC record of 40 points held by Creighton’s Kathy Halligan. Garnes was two points short of tying SDSU’s single-game record, set by Tina Hutchinson.

“We didn’t just have a tremendous individual performance from Kieishsha this (afternoon),” SDSU Coach Beth Burns said. “I’ve had it for 28 games. There’s no secret as to what we’re going to do when we get in the gym.”

The Aztecs trailed by as many as 14 in the second half, but they continually pounded the ball inside to Garnes and were able to come back. Garnes scored 30 second-half points and SDSU finally tied the game, 63-63, with 6:20 left when Garnes converted a three-point play.

But 4 1/2 minutes later, she fouled out. Halligan made two free throws to put Creighton ahead, 75-73. Creighton increased the lead to 78-75 and SDSU’s loss was sealed when Liza Carrillo missed a three-point attempt with six seconds remaining.

“(Kieishsha fouling out) had us a little starry-eyed,” Burns said. “I don’t think it hurt us as much offensively as defensively.”

The Aztecs, who lost to Creighton twice during the regular season, suited up just seven players. Guard Tammy Blackburn has been out since undergoing surgery for a broken nose in late February. Guard Crystal Lee has been out with a broken foot. Guard Dee Dee Davis quit two months ago.

Then, in the final two minutes Friday, Garnes fouled out and the Aztecs were down to six. It was too few.