The San Diego State women’s basketball team defeated McNeese 56-41 in the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament at the University of San Diego on March 22. With this win, the Aztecs tied a school record with their 27th victory and advanced to the tournament’s quarterfinals, where they will face No. 2 seed Kansas.
This result is significant as it marks a new milestone for the program, matching its highest single-season win total. The Aztecs’ strong defensive performance was key, holding McNeese to just 27 percent shooting from the field and allowing only one three-pointer while forcing 15 turnovers.
Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said after the game, “I’m so proud of this group and every win now is setting a new record. We had a fantastic defensive effort today and that’s how we separated ourselves.”
San Diego State had balanced scoring, with five players contributing between nine and eleven points. Bailey Barnhard led with eleven points, while Nala Williams added nine points and five assists. Kaelyn Hamilton also scored nine points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. Despite facing a McNeese team ranked among the top fifteen nationally in turnovers forced, SDSU managed to lead throughout most of the game.
The Aztecs built momentum in the second quarter by shooting sixty percent from the field and establishing a double-digit lead. Although they committed a season-high twenty turnovers, they limited McNeese to just twelve points off those mistakes. Terry-Hutson said, “McNeese needs transition points to win, so we talked about taking care of the ball and not having live ball turnovers so we could get back and get our defense set.”
Looking ahead, San Diego State will play at Kansas on Thursday night in hopes of advancing further in the tournament.
