San Diego State’s McKynzie Fort hit a layup in traffic with eight seconds to play and Khalia Lark stole the ensuing inbounds pass to clinch a hard-fought 77-76 victory Wednesday night over San Diego.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak in the series for the Aztecs (3-2).
It was also the first loss of the year for the Toreros (5-1).
Fort finished with a team-high 24 points.
There were 24 lead changes and 13 ties throughout the contest, with neither team ever building more than a six-point advantage.
“The fans definitely got their money’s worth,” said SDSU head women’s basketball coach Stacie Terry.
“I was so proud of our team and how we rose to the challenge and matched (USD’s) intensity. It’s fun to coach a game like that.”
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USD center Sydney Williams sank two clutch treys from the top of the arc late in the fourth quarter to give USD a 76-75 lead with under a minute to go.
But Fort quickly took the ball the length of the court for the game-winning basket moments after Williams hit her final three-pointer.
Williams led USD with 17 points while Aubrey Ward-El added 14.
Alexandra Hagen and Myah Pace also helped out the Toreros with 13 and 10 points respectively.
Lexy Thorderson chipped in with 16 points for the Aztecs but Fort was the main driving force of the SDSU offense.
The men’s basketball teams face off Thursday evening at 8 p.m. over at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on San Diego’s campus.
