The San Diego State women’s basketball team was ousted in the quarterfinals of this year’s Mountain West championship tournament but received new life after accepting an invitation to play in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.
The No. 4 seed Lady Aztecs are scheduled to host UC Irvine in Thursday’s tournament opener at 6 p.m. at the University of San Diego with the winner advancing to second round play on Sunday, March 22.
SDSU and UC Irvine play opposite in the bracket from No. 1 seed Texas A&M and McNeese State.
Quarterfinal-round play is scheduled March 26. The semifinals (March 30) and finals (April 1) are scheduled at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.
Should SDSU and McNeese State both win, SDSU would play host Sunday at USD, 2 p.m.
This marks the third year for the WBIT, a 32-team postseason invitational tournament that is owned and funded by the NCAA that was launched in 2024. The first three games are held at campus sites, and the semifinals and finals are held in Wichita, Kan.
The WBIT selection committee seeded only the top half of the 32-team field. The remaining 16 teams were placed in the bracket by the committee as close to their area of natural interest as possible.
The first four teams out of the NCAA tournament receive the top four seeds in the WBIT.
The WNIT, which is not affiliated with the NCAA, will feature 48 teams in 2026.
Mountain West Tournament runner-up Air Force (16-18) will represent the conference.
SDSU appeared three times in the long-running WNIT postseason event, founded in 1998. The Lady Aztecs reached the 1989 WNIT championship game after wins over Radford (99-92 in two overtimes) and Murray State (97-81) but lost, 67-64, in the championship game to Oregon.
SDSU appeared in the 2023 edition of the WNIT to provide the program with its first postseason appearance in 10 years.
WBIT champions include Illinois (2024) and Minnesota (2025).
The Lady Aztecs won the Mountain West regular season with a 19-1 record and have now made the postseason in three of the last four seasons (WNIT 2023, NCAA 2025, WBIT 2026). SDSU has already set a school record for three-pointers (8.5 per game) and is on pace to have a program best assist-to-turnover ratio.
UC Irvine enters Thursday’s opener with a 26-6 record and Big West regular season championship in tow with a 17-3 record. The Lady Anteaters lost to Hawaii in overtime in the Big West tournament semifinals. Their 26 wins against Division I opponents is a school record. They are 10-4 on the road.
• UCI ranks top 20 in the nation in free throws made per game (third, 17.4), free throw percentage (third, 80.4 percent), field goal percentage defense (35.8 percent, 13th), three-point percentage defense (16th, 26.9 percent), three-pointers per game (8.7, 17th) and turnovers per game (12.6, 18th).
• Hunter Hernandez won Big West Player of the Year and set the program’s single-season scoring record.
• Jada Wynn was named the Big West Newcomer of the Year. She averaged 15.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
• Head coach Tamara Inoue (10th season) won Big West Coach of the Year.
The Lady Aztecs carry a 21-9 all-time record against UC Irvine into Thursday’s matchup. The teams last met in the 2023 WNIT, which UCI won.
Red & Black
No. 1 seed SDSU fell to No. 9 Air Force, 83-76, in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament championship bracket March 8 in Las Vegas.
The Lady Aztecs, the regular season MW champions, dropped to 25-5 while Air Force improved to 15-17. The Lady Falcons were not finished after the upset loss by defeating No. 5 Boise State, 68-66, in the semifinals on March 9 to advance to the championship game on March 10.
No. 3 Colorado State (27-7, 15-5 in MW play) defeated Air Force, 56-42, to claim this year’s MWT title and the automatic berth to the NCAA March Madness. It’s the first time since 2016 the Lady Rams have appeared in the NCAA tournament.
SDSU defeated UNLV, 72-68, in three overtimes to win the 2025 MWT championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA March Madness.
The Lady Aztecs have won three MWT titles: 2010, 2012 and 2025.
All 11 MW teams competed in this year’s tournament.
Naomi Panganiban had a career-high 29 points and six assists in the SDSU loss to Air Force. The Lady Aztecs led 32-26 at halftime in an otherwise back-and-forth affair throughout the first half. The Lady Falcons rallied with 10 unanswered 10 points in the third quarter to pull ahead by five points.
Panganiban (14.4 ppg) helped SDSU narrow the game to a single point going into the final quarter. Despite a late three-point barrage from Panganiban, the Aztecs were unable to complete the second half comeback.
Panganiban’s 29 points are the most ever by a SDSU player in the Mountain West tournament. She added a career best six assists while not committing a turnover. In the final 36 seconds of action Panganiban hit three consecutive threes to keep the Lady Aztecs in the game until the final buzzer.
Kennedy Lee and Kaelyn Hamilton combined for 23 points. As a team SDSU converted 53 percent of its field goal attempts while outscoring Air Force 40-26 in the paint. The hosts also added 15 points off of turnovers.
Air Force scored 57 points in the second half. The game featured seven ties and 13 lead changes.
This was the first time this season SDSU has lost when scoring 70 or more points
The Lady Aztecs closed out regular season play with a 74-57 win at Air Force to cap an eight-game winning streak. During regular season play, SDSU reeled off a run of 13 consecutive wins.
Nala Williams (10.2 ppg) enters Thursday’s game as SDSU’s second-leading scorer on the season, followed by Nat Martinez (10.0 ppg) and Lee (9.2 ppg). Rebounding leaders included Lee (5.4 per game) and Bailey Barnhard (5.2 per game).
Honor roll
The Lady Aztecs were heavily rewarded in the Mountain West postseason awards as voted on by the league’s head coaches. Stacie Terry-Hutson was named Coach of the Year. Williams was named the Mountain West Player of the Year, to the All-Mountain West Team and to the All-Defensive Team. Kaelyn Hamilton earned the Sixth Player of the Year Award and Panganiban was named to the All-Mountain West Team.
Williams (Long Beach) led the Mountain West in assists per game (4.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.41). She shot 46 percent from the field and 42 percent from three in conference play and was the only player in the conference to have a game with 10-plus assists. She has the best assist-to-turnover ratio by a SDSU player in the Mountain West era (since 1999).
Hamilton (McKinney, Tex.) averaged 8.2 points on 55 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent from three in just 18.8 minutes per game in conference play. Her 8.2 points per game tied for the second most among players eligible for the Sixth Person of the Year Award. She came on strong in the last month, averaging 10.3 points per game over the last 11 games while setting a new career-high for points three times. Hamilton is the first Aztec to win the Sixth Person of the Year award.
In conference play, Panganiban (La Jolla Country Day) led the Aztecs in scoring with 14.4 points per game, good for fifth in the Mountain West. She scored in double-digits in 15 of SDSU’s 20 games and had three games with 20-plus points. She was at her best against the top teams in the league, scoring 20 points in both games against second place UNLV.
Terry-Hutson has led the Aztecs to back-to-back 25-win seasons while securing the 2025 Mountain West Tournament championship and the 2026 regular season championship. SDSU is one of four teams in the nation to have one or less loss at home and on the road, joining national powerhouses UConn, UCLA and South Carolina.
Stat attack
The Aztecs have won 21 of their last 23 games.
• SDSU’s 19 conference wins this season were the most in Mountain West history (for men’s and women’s).
• The Aztecs were one of five teams in the country to win their conference by at least four games.
• The Aztecs are averaging 70.6 points per game, which would be the highest since the 1993-94 season. SDSU is shooting 49.4% on two-pointers, also their best since 1993-94.
• SDSU led the Mountain West in points per game (71.0), field goal percentage (45.6%) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.10) in conference play.
• Defensively, the Aztecs held teams to 58.4 points on 37.6% shooting in conference play while leading the league in defensive rebounds per game (28.5) and defensive rebound percentage (76.5%).
Making waves: UC San Diego Lady Tritons advance to second consecutive NCAA tournament
While SDSU was shut out of this year’s NCAA tournament, UC San Diego’s women’s team will be making its second consecutive NCAA appearance after receiving the No. 14 seed. The Lady Tritons, this year’s Big West Conference champion, will meet No. 3 TCU Friday, March 20, at 9 a.m. PT at Schollmaier Arena in Ft. Worth, Texas.
UCSD, which is in the midst of a six-game winning streak, is 24-8. TCU, which finished 15-3 in the Big 12 and is 18-0 at home this season, is 29-5. It marks the first-ever meeting between the teams.
The Lady Tritons defeated Hawaii, 60-48, to earn their second consecutive Big West championship as the conference’s automatic NCAA qualifier. UCSD fell behind 13-9 at the end of the first quarter and 28-20 at halftime before scoring 40 points in the second half. Makayla Rose, who had 17 points and eight rebounds in the game, was named the Big West Championship Most Outstanding Player while Erin Condron (22 points, 14 rebounds, two steals) was named to the all-tournament team.
Rose averaged 18 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in the tournament, playing all 40 minutes in both the semifinal and championship game.Condron recorded her 11th double-double of the season in the title game, finishing the tournament averaging 15 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 36.5 minutes.
A conference-best six Lady Tritons were recognized on the All-Big West Conference team: Condron and Rose (back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year) on the First Team, honorable mentions Sabrina Ma, Dymonique Maxie and Rosa Smith and Lev Feiman on the All-Freshman team.
UC San Diego is coming off a season in which it set a record for most wins (24) in the Division I era, most points in one game (94 against Portland State on Nov. 30) and a program high 22 steals and 31 turnovers (Jan. 31 against CSU Northridge). Condron set the school’s Division I scoring record with 32 points in a Feb. 5 game at Long Beach State. Rose, teh Lady Tritons’ scoring leader on 11 separate occasions with 20 double-double efforts, recorded her 1,500th career point in a senior day game against UC Santa Barbara, finishing with a game high 25 points.
Rose ranks 10th nationally in steals (102). She is averaging 12.8 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, 2.1 assists per game and 3.2 steals per game in a team-high 36.2 minutes per game.
Maxie leads the Big West with 4.5 assists per game while Ma ranks third in the conference with 71 three-point baskets made. Rosa, a redshirt junior, is averaging 11.0 ppg, three rebounds per game and one steal per ga,me in 30.2 minutes per game.
The Lady Tritons, who added four freshmen and two transfers during the offseason, have registered back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in their Division I era. UCSD reached 20 wins in 13 of their last 15 seasons at hte Division II level dating back to 2005-06.
UC San Diego will be moving to the West Coast Conference beginning July 1, 2027. The school will compete in 14 of the 16 WCC sponsored sports: men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s water polo, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s golf and women’s rowing.
MARCH MADNESS SCOREBOARD
WBIT TOURNAMENT
First Round
Thursday, March 19
(4) San Diego State University 61, UC Irvine 55
Records: SDSU 26-5, UC Irvine 26-7
Second Round
Sunday, March 22
(4) SDSU vs. McNeese State, 2 p.m. at University of San Diego
NCAA-WOMEN
First Round
Friday, March 20
(3) TCU 86, (14) UC San Diego 40
Records: TCI 30-5, UC San Diego 24-9
NCAA opener: Lady Aztecs score first postseason win since 2013
The SDSU women’s basketball team (26-5) defeated UC Irvine (26-7) 61-55 in the first round of the WBIT Thursday evening at the University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Aztecs will now host McNeese Sunday at 2 p.m. at USD.
It was a tight game throughout with 12 lead changes and nine ties, but down the stretch the Aztecs forced three turnovers and made clutch free throws and finished the game on an 8-0 run to secure the victory.
“We were locked in at the end,” SDSU head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said after the game. “We knew who they were going to go to, so we made sure it was somewhat challenging for them.”
Naomi Panganiban collected her third straight 20+ point game, scoring 22 points while shooting 9-for-9 from the line. Kennedy Lee had 11 points and eight rebounds and Bailey Barnhard set new career-highs with nine rebounds and five assists.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half and after the game was tied at the end of the first quarter, SDSU began the second quarter on a 9-0 run. This would be the Aztecs’ largest lead of the game as UC Irvine immediately responded with a 7-0 run.
Offensive picked up in the third quarter and UCI scored 15 points in the first five minutes, only to see SDSU rally to take a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
Teams traded buckets throughout the fourth quarter, and the game was tied with 1:21 left and then the Aztecs forced three turnovers and finished the game on an 8-0 run.
UC Irvine was led by Hunter Hernandez, the Big West Player of the Year, who had 19 points.
The Lady Aztecs were 13-for-13 from the line. The 13 consecutive free throws are tied for the most makes without a miss since at least 1999.
This was San Diego State’s first postseason win since 2013.
The Lady Aztecs’ 26 wins are tied for second most in school history.
“It was loud in there and it felt like a home game. I want to challenge everyone to come back. This is a perfect size arena for a home court advantage, and we are going to need everyone’s help Sunday.” Terry-Hutson said.
SDSU women top McNeese, 56-41, advances to WBIT quarterfinals
The San Diego State women’s basketball team (27-5) defeated McNeese (29-6) by a score of 56-41 in the second round of the WBIT at the University of San Diego Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Aztecs tied a school record with their 27th win and advanced to the tournament quarterfinals and will play at No. 2 seed Kansas (21-13) on Thursday.
The Aztecs held McNeese to 27 percent shooting, only allowed one three-pointer and forced 15 turnovers.
“I’m so proud of this group and every win now is setting a new record,” SDSU head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said after the game. “We had a fantastic defensive effort today and that’s how we separated ourselves.”
SDSU had a balanced scoring effort with five players scoring between nine and 11 points, led by Bailey Barnhard’s 11. Nala Williams had nine points and five assists and Kaelyn Hamilton added nine with a career-high eight rebounds.
Going against a McNeese team that was top 15 in the nation in turnovers forced, the Lady Aztecs got off to a slow start offensively but still led 7-6 at the end of the first quarter.
SDSU found some rhythm in the second quarter, shooting 60 percent from the field and building a double-digit lead. The closest McNeese would get in the second half was seven points midway through the third quarter.
SDSU had a season-high 20 turnovers but only allowed McNeese to score 12 points off them.
“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,” Terry-Hutson explained.
The Cowgirls were led by Dakota Howard’s 16 points.
The Aztecs had assists on 14 of their 18 field goals. SDSU held McNeese to 10 points or fewer in three of the four quarters. The Aztecs are 25-for-25 from the line in their two WBIT games.
UP NEXT
SDSU will play at Kansas Thursday night (time TBD). The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
