How Sweet (16) It Is
Join the Aztecs for a rally and send-off at 11 a.m., Thursday, March 25, at Viejas Arena.
San Diego State rolled into the "Live Music Capital of the World" looking to pull off an upset. They'll be singing all the way to Memphis after getting two.
Look out Graceland, these Aztecs and their tandem of super senior guards are for real. The team will play second-seed Duke University, ranked No. 6 in the nation, at 11:04 a.m. PT on Saturday, March 27.
To send off the team in style, a rally will be held in front of Viejas Arena at 11 a.m., Thursday, March 25. Women's basketball head coach Beth Burns and the team will speak before the Aztecs head to the Sweet 16 game against Duke.
Aztecs scoring and soaring
Jene Morris scored 27 points and Quenese Davis scored 19, sending the No. 11-seed Aztecs to a 64-55 win over No. 3 West Virginia on Tuesday night in the second round of the Memphis Regional.
"It's a statement," Davis said after the Aztecs danced off the court with their pep band filling the near-empty arena with music. "We're putting San Diego State on the map!"
Quite a statement indeed coming from a team that got into the tournament by winning the Mountain West Conference tourney.
Once they got here, the Aztecs (23-10) completely dismantled No. 6 Texas on the Longhorns' home court in the first round before surviving the defensive tourniquet applied by the Mountaineers, who were runner-up to colossus Connecticut in the Big East.
First regional semifinal in Aztecs' history
San Diego State is the lowest seed to advance beyond the second round of this year's NCAA tournament. The Aztecs are going to the regional semifinals for the first time in school history.
"I didn't have a problem with being an 11-seed. I was quite happy to be invited to the party," San Diego State coach Beth Burns said. "We'll come in the front door, the back door, climb in the basement window."
The Aztecs guards were simply all over the place and the Mountaineers couldn't keep up.
Morris scored six points in a 8-0 San Diego State run late in the second half after West Virginia had rallied to tie it 47-47.
"They had two guards as good as any I've seen in the Big East," West Virginia coach Mike Carey said. "Especially Morris. She's as good as any guard I've seen this year."
Liz Repella scored 17 points and Sarah Miles scored 15 for the Mountaineers (29-6), who set a school record for season victories but once again failed to get past the second round of the tournament.
Aztecs take the lead
San Diego State led 36-25 early in the second before West Virginia slowly pulled its way back.
Miles tied it on a layup with five minutes left. But Repella air-balled a go-ahead 3-pointer on the next possession and the Aztecs put together the decisive run.
"At that point me and Quenese said to each other this is our last chance. We fought hard to make it to this point and there's now way we're leaving with a loss," Morris said.
After Repella's miss, Morris hit a mid-range jumper and followed it with a layup. After Coco Davis hit a jumper that bounced up and in just before the shot clock expired, Morris took a nifty pass underneath from Jessika Bradley and finished with another tough layup. San Diego State led 55-47 with 2:16 to play.
West Virginia tried to foul in an attempt to get back in the game and twice got within four. Quenese Davis made three of four free throws and Morris made four in a row to finish it out.
West Virginia, which struggled to shoot in the first half, hit 55 percent in the second to rally. But the rebounding that dominated Lamar in the first round wasn't there. The Aztecs held a 34-31 edge on the board and also forced the Mountaineers into 16 turnovers.
"We played great defense today," Morris said.
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