Cal State Fullerton sophomore Amber Pruitt had a career-high 17 points
and narrowly missed her second consecutive double-double with nine rebounds,
but it was not enough as San Diego State shot 69 percent from the floor
in the opening half en route to a 73-50 non-conference women's basketball
victory on Monday night at Titan Gym.
The Titans fell to 0-3 overall on the season, marking the third time in
the last five seasons that Fullerton has gone winless in its first three
games. The Aztecs, meanwhile, won their second consecutive contest in
improving to 2-1 overall.
Pruitt, who has opened the season with three consecutive double-digit
scoring performances, was the only Titan in double figures on the night
as Cal State Fullerton went cold from the field in the first half. The
Titans shot just 18.5 percent from the field (5-for-27) compared to the
hot-shooting Aztecs, who were 18-of-26 in the period.
Courtney Fritz had 21 points to lead all scorers – 16 of those coming
in the first half on 5-of-5 shooting, including 4-of-4 from three-point
range. Michelle Elliott added 17 points and five boards for SDSU while
Jessica Huettl notched 10 points off the bench.
San Diego State dominated from the opening tip and never looked back,
scoring the first 10 points of the game in the first 2:03 and leading
25-3 at the 12:38 mark of the first half.
Fullerton's first basket was a three-pointer by Tamara Quinn at the 17:38
mark, but the Titan offense went cold, going scoreless for the next 5:44
until a lay-up by Quinn, who finished with five points.
The Aztecs then went on an 8-0 run over the next 5:36, extending their
lead to 33-5 before freshman Charlee Underwood hit a three-pointer to
end that drought. SDSU scored 12 of the final 21 points down the stretch
to lead, 45-17, at the break.
The second half went a lot better for the Titans, shooting .429 (12-of-28)
from the field and outscoring the Aztecs 33-28 in the period. Pruitt scored
15 of her 17 points in the second half.
San Diego State held a 35-30 advantage on the boards with only four of
those coming on the offensive end. The Aztecs shot .563 for the game to
the Titans' .309.
Cal State Fullerton returns to action this weekend as the Titans travel
to Lawrence, Kan., as one of four teams competing in the 2003 Holiday
Inn Jayhawk Classic at historic Allen Fieldhouse.
The Titans open on Saturday (Dec. 6) against the host Jayhawks at 10:30
a.m. (PST) and will face either Alabama State or Texas-El Paso on Sunday
(Dec. 7) depending on the outcome of the tournament's first two games.
