Women's Hoops: SDSU punches NCAA ticket in thrilling triple-OT win over Wyoming, 72-68

In what will be remembered as one of the most intense championship games in the league's history, San Diego State University claimed the Mountain West tournament title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in a match that featured over a dozen lead changes and extended into three overtime periods.

“I'm out of breath. I'm tired, so I know they're tired,” San Diego State head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said. “What a fun game; what a great game for women's basketball and for the Mountain West against a really good opponent.”

It was an instant classic. The two teams clashed on the court for 55 minutes, trading leads 16 times and tying 12 times. It was the first Division I conference final to require three or more overtimes since the 2013 SWAC Championship, which went to four overtimes.

SDSU boasted one of the deepest benches in the nation, ranking eighth in bench points per game (27.8), but Terry-Hutson leaned on her starters nearly the entire way.

“We just outlasted them, that's a really good Wyoming team,” she said. SDSU (25-9) had lost both regular-season meetings against the Cowgirls (22-11).

SDSU’s defensive effort proved to be a difference-maker, with 6'3" senior forward Cali Clark playing a key starting role to slow down Wyoming’s Allyson Fertig, the Mountain West Player of the Year. Clark held the 6'4" center to just 11 points in regulation—well below her 19.5 PPG season average—while also filling her stat sheet with 17 rebounds, 12 points, six steals, and three blocked shots.

“I'm always for the team and what the team needs, and tonight the team needed me to play some defense and not let Allyson do what she normally does, because obviously she's the player of the year,” Clark said about receiving the starting nod.

Her effort on both ends kept the Aztecs within striking distance, setting the stage for a dramatic finish. With every stop, every crucial rebound, and every second ticking down, the tension inside Thomas & Mack Arena grew. 

SDSU freshman guard Naomi Panganiban (17 points) continued her postseason run of creating big moments, nailing a jumper at the three-minute mark to tie the game at 45-45. A minute later, Veronica Sheffey (24 points, 5 assists) sank two free throws following a loose ball foul, briefly putting SDSU ahead. But on the next possession, Fertig powered through a double-team for a layup, drawing a foul. She had a chance to give Wyoming the lead at the free-throw line but missed, keeping the game knotted at 47-47.

The drama only increased in extra time. SDSU built multiple five-point leads—once in the first overtime with 1:35 remaining and again in the second with a minute left. But each time, Wyoming answered back.

Open the image full screen.

“I'm just really proud of us and I'm looking forward to playing some more basketball with this group,” Sheffey said.

The win was SDSU’s eighth in a row, completing a remarkable run after starting the season with eight straight victories. Their goal all year had been a conference championship.

“Honestly, we just wanted to win so bad,” Panganiban said. “Ever since this summer, we could see it—I mean, I saw it personally. It was going to be different. We wanted it so bad.”

Panganiban joined Sheffey on the All-Tournament Team. Sheffey, who scored a career-high 24 points, was named Tournament MVP.

Open the image full screen.

“It means so much,” she said. “That's why I stayed—because I knew there's no ceiling on this program. I knew what Stacie and the staff could do, and with the new additions and my teammates, I knew exactly what we were capable of.”

SDSU will find out who they play next during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, airing at 5 p.m. PT on Sunday on ESPN.

GAME NOTES

• Terry-Hutson said she and starter Adryana Quezada discussed defense strategies and agreed to start Clark against Wyoming’s Fertig.  "She's been my starter, she's a lot of our go-to on offense,” said Terry-Hutson. “She and I had a conversation, and she and I decided that that was going to be the best move for the team, so she graciously gave that up. She knew that was what was going to be best for the team … that's a testament to the kids that we have in this program, that it's ‘we over me’ … she was willing to give that up for us to get the win.”
  
  
• Clark became the only Division I player this century to have a conference tournament game with at least 17 rebounds, six steals and three blocks.
  
  
• The Aztecs have 25 victories in a season for the first time since winning a school-record 27 in the 2012-13 season.
  
  
• San Diego State’s 70 victories over the last three seasons match its most in a three-season span in school history (also 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96).
  
  
• San Diego State played in back-to-back championship games for the first time since 2011-12 and 2012-13.