SDSU WBB Preview: Aztecs host the Lady Rebels in 1 vs. 2 seed showdown
PJ Panebianco/ EVT Sports
The Mountain West-leading Aztecs have their work cut out for them to continue their dominant season on Wednesday night. With a two-game lead over UNLV, the Lady Rebels are coming into Viejas looking for some late-season leverage.
It has been nothing short of a great season so far for San Diego State Women’s Basketball, which sits at a 20-4 record atop the Mountain West. But with five games to play before the MW tournament, the peak of that mountain is no certainty. The most difficult part of that five-game stretch is knocking at the door, with the second-place Lady Rebels coming to town tonight, and third-place Boise State waiting in the Gem State next Wednesday.
A major factor in SDSU’s success on the court this season has been stout defense. The team is 18-1 when they keep their foe below 70 points, and they are undefeated in the 15 games they’ve held opponents under 40 percent shooting. The defense shines through Nala Williams, the reigning DII National Player of the Year, who transferred in from Cal State Dominguez Hills after last season. In her career, she has 342 steals, and this year she averages 2.26 assists per turnover.
In her 13th season as Aztec WBB Head Coach, Stacie Terry-Hutson has the program looking sharp with four straight 20-win seasons. If the Aztecs win four more games, Coach Terry-Hutson will set a new record for most wins in a 3-year stretch, with 71.
The threat the Lady Rebels pose
Outside of two hiccups against Santa Clara and GCU (the men can relate), SDSU has largely been able to handle the games they is favored in. But what UNLV brings to the table is hunger and history. They have been the Mountain West regular-season champions for four straight years, and know how important this game is to make that a fifth. If it weren’t for SDSU winning the MW tournament last year, it would’ve been a four-peat in that category for the Lady Rebels as well.
Players like Meadow Roland, who leads the MW in double-doubles, will likely be playing animal-style with conference implications on the line. Forward Shelbee Brown controls boards with startling efficiency, and Head Coach Lindy La Rocque has been rocque-solid with three MW Coach of the Year awards in her 6 seasons leading the Lady Rebels.
However, UNLV has not looked as sharp as in years past. They are 17-8, with five losses on the road, and have dropped three of their last four to SDSU. The pair’s last meeting was on January 17 and went to overtime, with the Aztecs finding their way to a 75-66 win. The Lady Rebels gave up 24 turnovers in that game, which they hadn’t done since 2019.
SDSU’s roadmap for the end of the season
The Aztecs will host Fresno State on Saturday before going to Boise State on Feb. 25. Then, they close out the regular season with a home battle against Wyoming, with the finale taking place in Colorado Springs against Air Force. Those five games will decide who sits in the one-seed for the Mountain West Championship. While UNLV will have home-court advantage regardless, tonight’s contest remains pivotal in their hunt for five straight regular-season champs.
San Diego State could prove that its four-peat-thwarting tournament win in 2025 was symbolic of a power shift in the Mountain West. EVT’s Nate Tubbs will be shooting and writing Wednesday’s contest. Stay tuned for more.
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.