Don’t tell Beth Burns she and her team didn’t deserve some time off.
After playing three of its last four games on the road, the San Diego State women’s basketball team (12-6 overall; 7-1 Western Athletic Conference) returns home tonight to face the Fresno State Bulldogs (11-6 overall; 4-3 WAC) at 7 in Peterson Gym.
“We have just been excited to practice against San Diego State and not have to prepare for a team,” Burns said. “We are just happy to be home.”
The Aztecs, who are in first place in the WAC’s Pacific Division, split their last two games and returned home to Peterson Gym, where they have posted a 6-2 record this season.
Offensively, SDSU is led by forwards Jodi Nowlin-Tres and Olivia DiCamilli. Nowlin-Tres, the 6-foot senior from Grand Junction, Colo., is averaging 13.1 points per game. DiCamilli, the 5-foot-11 junior from Costa Mesa, is averaging 11.6 points per game.
Also making solid contributions to the team have been freshman Deidre Rucker and junior Shaneya Harris. Rucker, the 5-foot-11 guard from Carrollton, Texas, is averaging 9.7 points per game and ranks third on the team in scoring.
Harris, since joining the team over winter break, has made a tremendous impact. Not only is she averaging 9.5 points per game, but her intensity has been terrific.
“Her intensity has been huge for this team,” Burns said. “Her intensity brings the whole team’s intensity up.”
Perhaps the biggest component of the Aztec attack this year has been the defense. The defense, which ranks third in the nation in scoring defense (51.7 points per game), has been something that SDSU has been working hard on all year.
“We always play 95 feet,” Burns said. “Defense is the key to the game.”
The accolades for the defense don’t stop there. In WAC matches, it has given up an average of only 46.6 points per game and has held 12 opponents this year to under 40 percent shooting. It is averaging 13.6 steals per game, which ranks second in the conference, and is forcing 27.4 turnovers per game.
“Defense is a big key to their game plan,” FSU head coach Linda Wunder said. “We need to be able to handle their defensive pressure.”
The Bulldogs come into tonight’s game in fourth place in the WAC’s Pacific Division. They split their last two games, falling to Colorado State and defeating Wyoming. FSU returns three starters and six letter winners from last season’s team, which recorded an 11-16 mark.
“They have been playing very well,” Burns said. “They are a quality opponent.”
The ‘Dogs are led by forwards Janee Young and Lori Brown. Young, a 5-foot-9 junior, leads the team in scoring (14.8 points per game) and the WAC in rebounding (10.6 rebounds per game). Brown, a 6-foot-1 senior, is averaging 13.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Perhaps tonight’s biggest contribution for FSU will come from its bench. Jesse Smith has been coming off the bench for most of the season, and Wunder has decided to take Tiffany Lewis off the bench instead of starting her, which has provided extra punch to the Bulldogs’ offensive attack.
“We need consistency from our bench,” Wunder said. “If we get consistency from our bench, it will really help out our starters.”
With their first-place ranking on the line and a tough conference opponent coming to “The Pete,” the Aztecs must take full advantage of this short home stand. Just because they are at home, though, doesn’t mean they will play low-key tonight.
“We have sort of had a death march these past two weeks,” Burns said. “We need to go out and attack the second half.”
