SDSU Falls Flat Against Utes

The San Diego State women’s basketball team knew first-place Creighton had lost Friday evening to Wyoming in a Western Athletic Conference game.

That’s why Coach Beth Burns found it so hard to believe that her team, tied for second with host Utah, could come out so flat in the second half Saturday night in a 79-58 loss to the Utes before 1,195 in Huntsman Center.

The Aztecs (12-9, 4-3) trailed at halftime, 35-34. They had beaten Utah (15-8, 6-2) earlier this season in San Diego, 87-80. Two games behind Creighton when the week started, the Aztecs, with a second-half burst, could have moved to within a game of first. With Creighton still scheduled to visit SDSU, Burns was thinking the Aztecs could control their own destiny.

A shoddy second half took care of that. SDSU was outscored at the beginning, 18-6, and never recovered.

“Ballgames are won and lost in the first five minutes of the second half,” Burns said. “Utah had fire in their eyes. We didn’t. It’s plain and simple.”

SDSU was hurt badly by 25 turnovers. Utah had 16. Also, Utah had 21 offensive rebounds--led by Mikki Kane’s 10.

“We just got outhustled,” Burns said. “Second shots and turnovers.”

As usual Kieishsha Garnes led SDSU with 22 points and 13 rebounds.