Aztecs build big early lead, survive rough third quarter to tough it out over UTSA

SAN DIEGO – After seeing their 24-point halftime lead whittled to as little as 5 early in the fourth quarter, the San Diego State Aztecs bounced back to hold on for a 65-56 win over the UTSA Roadrunners on Sunday afternoon at Viejas Arena.

Six different Aztecs (3-0) scored in the final frame, as freshman forward Dionne Madjo had 7 of her game-high 15 points and junior guard Nayli Padilla scored all 6 of her points in the second half. Padilla also added 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a block. UTSA (0-2) saw their second half surge powered by junior guard Damayra Allen scoring 11 of her 13 points and redshirt-sophomore Taylor Ross scoring 10 of her 12 points in the second half.

SDSU extended their home court winning streak to 16 games, one shy of the program record set spanning the 2008-09 to 2009-10 seasons.

After being called for just 4 fouls in the opening half, the Aztecs were whistled for eight with 4:40 played in the third quarter, during which the Roadrunners went on a 14-2 run with 6 points coming at the stripe — two of those on and-ones.

There was also a scary moment on one of the fouls called on junior guard Natalia Martinez, as she left the court holding her hand and did not return for the remainder of the quarter.

Senior guard Eva DeChent made the first shot of the half for SDSU, who gradually pushed back after the initial UTSA surge, getting two buckets in the final 3:15 from Padilla. Her last came with 6 seconds remaining to push the lead back to 47-39 points.

Things settled in the fourth quarter as after UTSA made their third 3-pointer of the second half, DeChent was able to earn trips to the line on successive possessions, converting 3-of-4. But the boost came when Martinez returned to the game at the 6:35 mark and then promptly made a triple in her first possession back on the floor. SDSU outscored the Roadrunners 18-17 in the fourth.

After scoring a career-high 25 points against North Texas, Martinez followed up with 13 points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting while also grabbing 4 rebounds and dealing 3 assists with a steal. DeChent finished with 10 points, and tied with Madjo for the team lead in drawing 5 fouls.

Fourth quarter scoring would finish with an 18-17 edge as the Aztecs saw the result out despite not hitting another field goal after junior guard Alayna Kraus hit a paint jumper at the 4:58 mark. SDSU hit 8-of-10 free throws down the stretch.

It was a cagey opening quarter, as early on most all the offense for both sides came from the half-court sets. The Aztecs scored the first 6 points of the game, all driving the basket as they held the Roadrunners scoreless for the first 3:46.

Bailey Barnhard was the first player to score multiple buckets, making a sweet step-back fade in the heart of the lane to open an early 6-point edge, with UTSA pulling within a point twice until the Aztecs scored the final 8 points of the frame. The big buckets came on back-to-back 3-pointers from Martinez, continuing her hot shooting as SDSU led 18-9 after one, with 8 coming from the junior guard.

Martinez’s offensive gravity sucked the defense in on a probing drive across the free-throw line, leaving Kraus alone in the right corner for a triple that gave SDSU a double-digit lead. DeChent got into the action with a steal on the next possession, breaking free for an and-one as she was fouled while laying it in.

From there it was the Madjo show on offense, as the lanky Luxembourg national converted a pair of free-throws, then out-worked her defender with her Swiss-army selection of post moves to score on back-to-back possessions and make it a 12-0 run.

The Aztecs would finish with a 37-14 lead at the break after holding the Roadrunners to 9 and 4 points in the first two quarters. It’s the first two times the Scarlet and Black have held an opponent to single-digit scoring in a quarter this season after doing so 19 times in 2025-26.

Prior to the game, SDSU held a special ceremony featuring a highlight video recognizing former five-year Aztec guard and current UTSA assistant coach Sophia Ramos. She was warmly welcomed by the crowd and embraced Terry-Hutson before the game.

Up next San Diego State will welcome the Colorado Buffaloes for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at Viejas Arena. It’s the second half of a twi-night double-header, as the SDSU men ‘s team will be facing the Bethune Cookman Wildcats at 2 p.m. Both games will be streamed on the Pac-12 Youtube channel, with the men’s game being broadcast on 760AM KGB.

This story will be updated.