San Diego State poised for late run in Mountain West

“I think we are having a pretty good season,” 12th-year SDSU coach Stacie Terry-Hutson told The Next. “We had a nice nonconference then we got into Mountain West play, and it has been a grind. We are getting better [at] figuring things out. We are doing a great job on the defensive end. We need to reevaluate offensively a way we can score a little bit faster.”

During the Aztecs’ 59-58 win over UNLV on Jan. 25, SDSU held the Lady Rebels 17 points below their scoring average, and off the scoreboard for the game’s final 4:30. Veronica Sheffey ended the game at the buzzer on a driving layup. Sheffey, Adryana Quezada and Naomi Panganiban are all leading the balanced offense at about 10 points per game. Kim Villalobos and Nat Martinez are just behind them, averaging eight points.

Sheffey is in her first year at SDSU, transferring from the crosstown University of San Diego. In addition, leading rebounder Cali Clark (eight per game) is a former Colorado State Ram. However, the Aztecs have not been burdened with the negative side of the transfer portal. Terry-Hutson has built a program where players want to consistently return. According to the team’s game notes, SDSU ranks in the top 6% of teams that have not lost a player to another university. Only 20 other schools can boast that feat.

“It’s been very valuable,” Terry-Hutson added about the transfer portal. “San Diego is a hard place to leave — to get a quality education and live in one of the best cities in the country. We have a pretty good culture. We care about kids not just on the basketball court. I think kids want to play here. We have the right people sitting in the right seats on the bus, it’s hard to beat that.”

As attractive as it might be to stay home in San Diego, the Aztecs have found just as much success away from Viejas Arena this year. The team ranks among the nation’s best with eight road wins through mid-February.

“It’s something that I am really proud of,” Terry-Hutson said of the road success. “I think we have done a good job of locking in on the road. Also, the biggest factor in that is the defense. We have really been able to defend at a high level, and I think that has been helpful. Sometimes, your offense doesn’t always come with — but defense travels, and we have done a good job with our defense.”

Quezada and Panganiban connect senior to freshman class

Quezada, who began at UTSA in 2019 and also played at Utah State, is concluding her college eligibility. Last season, she was named All-Mountain West, leading the Aztecs with 14 points and more than six rebounds.

“This year I feel pretty good about it,” Quezada said of the winding-down season. “I feel pretty confident for where we are going and the next final weeks in the season. Our success on the road [comes] from our preparation in practice — no matter if it’s home or away, we are still locked into each game the same.”

Quezada, who plans on playing 3×3 with the Puerto Rican national team this summer, said she came to SDSU because the coaching staff saw her for more than what she could do on the court.

“As a senior, I hope I pass down the work ethic and the right attitude,” she added. “If [younger players] learn anything from me, I hope it’s that. I have already seen the potential of what we can do.”

As a freshman, Panganiban didn’t want to drift too far from home. As a star at La Jolla Country Day High School, she received pep talks from alumna and WNBA guard Kelsey Plum, advising her to enjoy the process and journey.

“The whole team has been great so far, and I get to represent my hometown,” Panganiban told The Next. “To see all of the people in the stands who supported me during my basketball journey has been great. The team was very welcoming, and I really believed in the culture they were building.”

Panganiban added that her strongest ability is creating her own show — whether off the dribble or getting to the paint, playmaking for her teammates — in addition to her quickness. She also plays for the Philippine national team, which has qualified for the FIBA Asia Cup this July in Shenzhen, China.

“It’s a great experience overall,” she said of the playing for the Philippines, “Not a lot of people can say they are traveling and playing for their country where their family is from. I just think it’s been a great experience overall. I have made a lot of connections and relationships that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Everything is positive from playing with the national team.”

Another shot at UNLV

The Aztecs came within one game of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, falling to UNLV, 66-49, in the conference championship. SDSU came in as the seventh seed and ended the year 22-13 and 10-8 in the conference.

“We were so close last year,” Terry-Hutson said the day after SDSU lost the rubber match in Las Vegas by 10. “I know they have a taste of it, just getting back to UNLV it felt reminiscent of playing in that tournament. Our girls are hungry and know what is at stake every time they step on the court. They [UNLV] are a really good team, but we know we can hang and compete.”

Quezada added that what she learned in splitting the games with UNLV is that her team needs to compete for a full 40 minutes.

“There is a chance we might see them again, so applying that will help,” she concluded.