When San Diego State WBB broke the huddle and chanted, “let’s go, belt to a**,” they meant it. Two Aztecs practicing Ash Wednesday especially took it to heart.

SAN DIEGO — Aztec Women’s Basketball knew it needed to win its pivotal home matchup against the Lady Rebels to keep the Mountain West tight in its grip. With each of the starters scoring in the double-digits and keeping UNLV below the 70-point mark, they did so with high efficiency.

Naomi Panganiban, with ash slowly fading from her forehead, once again emerged as the difference maker, scoring 20 in high-leverage situations.

She had a couple and ones on the night and could’ve argued for more. Also playing with an ash cross on her forehead and sealing the game was Nat Martinez, burying a dagger three as time dwindled in the 4th quarter. This capped off a one-sided final stanza, with San Diego State outscoring UNLV 25-11.

Before that point, UNLV was hanging in there and held the lead a couple of times throughout the game. Mountain West double-double leader Meadow Roland was as advertised, serving up 18 points and 15 boards, giving the Aztecs trouble all night.

But what Las Vegas had in Roland, San Diego State had in deuces: Kennedy Lee and Nala Williams. They were both outstanding on both sides of the floor, combining for 29 points and 21 rebounds.

Rebounding and second chances were a difference maker for the Aztecs throughout the game. With a +5 rebound differential and 15 offensive boards, they built huge momentum boosts when UNLV could have started to run away with it.

In their last meeting on January 17, San Diego State forced 24 turnovers in an overtime win. Here on Feb. 18, the Aztecs pulled off another 12, while giving up six. Top to bottom, Aztec Women’s Basketball was successful. Fewer fouls, more assists, more points in the paint, and more made free throws on fewer attempts will tell the story of this game.

What does this mean for the Aztecs WBB moving forward?

This win against UNLV means, on paper, the hardest game of the regular season is behind them. It’s nowhere near time to get comfortable, though. With Fresno State around the corner, and #3 Boise State on Feb. 25, this is another gust of wind in Aztec sails while choppy waters lie ahead.

With four games left before the Mountain West tournament, SDSU now owns a three-game lead in the conference.

Stepping into Viejas, the five-peat-seeking regular season champ Lady Rebels knew that number five hinged on a win. They will still have the luxury of playing in front of a home crowd for the tournament, but seeding may no longer be fully in their favor.

Now knocking on the door to a historic three-year stretch of success, Coach Terry-Hutson is ushering in an era of Aztec dominance in the Mountain West. Yes, it is just in time for them to be leaving for the Pac-12, but it doesn’t hurt to go into a new chapter on a hot streak.

With Lent upon us, time will tell if the Aztecs decided to give up losing for the next 40 days.

Nate Tubbs

Nate Tubbs is a recent graduate of Journalism at San Diego State University. In his time at SDSU, he wrote and photographed several different sports for Aztec Link, the school’s NIL collective. He also co-hosted a weekly podcast featuring Aztec athletes, sharing their stories and goals for the season. Tubbs is passionate about photography, storytelling, and most of all, San Diego sports.