 "Photo: Derrick Tuskan")
 "Photo: Derrick Tuskan")
Coming off a huge upset win over Mountain West Conference preseason favorite UNLV, the San Diego State women's basketball team left the friendly confines of Cox Arena and headed to Colorado State and Wyoming for a weekend road trip. What would normally be a long trek became a lot lengthier than SDSU would have hoped.
What seemed like the longest part of the entire two-game swing - and certainly the most frustrating - was probably the first 10 minutes and 15 seconds of Saturday's contest in Laramie.
The Aztecs (6-9, 1-2) didn't score their first points of the game until sophomore guard Michelle Elliott's layup at the 9:45 mark made it 18-2. By then, the mountain became too tough to climb for SDSU, and the Aztecs never made a dent in the Cowgirls' (12-5, 3-1) lead. SDSU headed into the locker room at halftime down 39-15.
In the second half, the Aztecs wouldn't get closer than 23 points. The lead grew to as many as 29 in three occasions before time finally ran out and SDSU lost, 69-43.
The Aztecs couldn't find their shot throughout the game, as they finished 15-25 (.333) and 3-11 (.273) from beyond the arc.
One offensive bright spot for SDSU was junior guard Michelle Strawberry, who finished with 12 points and two assists - her third consecutive outing in double figures.
"I'm finding my groove and my rhythm," Strawberry said. "My shots are coming along so I'm just trying to stay confident. I want to be able to be one of those contributors game in and game out."
Redshirt freshman Jordie Smith chipped in seven points and a team-best five rebounds, while sophomore guard Jessica Huettl added six points.
Defensively, the Aztecs just couldn't stop the bleeding, but were able to hold Wyoming's Ashley Elliott - the conference's leading scorer - to just eight points.
While they shut down Elliott, another Cowgirl spoiled the party. Hanna Zavecz was on point all night, dropping 16 points.
On Thursday at Fort Collins, SDSU fell short to the Rams, 63-50. Strawberry had a career-best 20 points on a day when the Aztecs set a program record for three-point attempts with 29. SDSU's Elliott added 17 points and matched a career-high eight rebounds.
CSU would be up by 11 on two occasions before the Aztecs would shorten the lead to five, 42-37. But the Rams' 23-7 advantage in free throw attempts proved to be the deciding factor, as they would eventually stretch the lead to 14 points.
SDSU brought the score to within eight with three minutes remaining, but CSU eventually closed the deal and handed the Aztecs their first MWC lost.
SDSU can look forward to two upcoming home games against Air Force and New Mexico Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
"The weekend was pretty disappointing," Strawberry said. "We came out thinking we were gonna be great because we had a great win against UNLV. In those next home games, I think we'll be able to get them. It feels really great to be at home. It seems like we have more energy. Eventually we have to take that positive energy to the road games."
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