Aztecs Rally Falls Short at No. 21/24 UNLV in MW Semis

LAS VEGAS – The Aztec women's basketball team's (23-10) rally at No. 21/24 UNLV (30-2) came up just short and SDSU fell 71-68 in the Mountain West Tournament quarterfinals Tuesday evening.
 
The Aztecs, who trailed by as much as 11 points, were down to UNLV by seven with 19 seconds left and then hit back-to-back threes in a six second span. Following two free throws from UNLV, the Aztecs had a chance to tie but their last second three was off the mark.
 
"I'm proud of our team," Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said after the game. "We battled tonight against a good UNLV team. Playing on their home floor, I thought our kids really battled until the end. If a couple of calls go our way, I think it's a different outcome."
 
The Aztecs were led by Sophia Ramos' 17 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter. Abby Prohaska provided 15 points off the bench while Yummy Morris (14) and Kim Villalobos (10) also had double-digits.
 
SDSU shot above 50 percent from the floor in every quarter aside from the third, where UNLV outscored the SDSU 17-8, ended up being the difference in the game.
 
"We got good shots, we just didn't make them," Terry-Hutson explained. "It wasn't that we were panicking. They just didn't go down. We couldn't really shut them down either."
 
SDSU scored 27 points in the fourth and was 5-for-6 from three.
 
"I think it was just a dog mentality when you get to a game like that in fourth quarter," Abby Prohaska said. "You kind of just lose all sight of your surroundings, and you turn into a different beast."
 
The Aztecs shot 48 percent from the floor and held the Rebels to 42 percent. It was just SDSU's second loss when having a higher field goal percentage than their opponent (20-2).
 
UNLV was led by Desi-Rae Young's 20 points and 13 rebounds.
 
STAT OF THE GAME
UNLV attempted 33 free throws to SDSU's 10.
 
QUOTE OF THE GAME
"We had a lot of poise in the fourth quarter. I'm proud of them being able to execute. This is the best group I've ever had, and we play hard. I knew they weren't going to give in no matter what the score was." Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson on SDSU's fourth quarter comeback.
 
THE NOTE
In SDSU's three losses to UNLV, they lost by a combined 15 points.
 
UP NEXT
The Aztecs will wait to see if they receive a postseason invitation.