San Diego State’s remarkable season hit an unexpected roadblock when the Aztecs suffered a stunning upset loss to Air Force Falcons, ending their run in the conference tournament but not their hopes for postseason play.
Despite entering the game after one of the most dominant seasons in program history, Aztecs head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson refused to let the disappointment overshadow the larger accomplishments of her team.
“Obviously really disappointed in the outcome,” Terry-Hutson said after the game. “I thought Air Force played a great game today and deserved to win. But I don’t want to get too high or too low because we’ve had a fantastic season this year. We have played an amazing brand of basketball for about five months now and we’re not going to let one loss dictate or dampen the season that we’ve had.”
The Aztecs entered the tournament with a dominant 25–4 record and an outright regular-season title in the Mountain West Conference, finishing league play at 19–1. That body of work made the loss especially surprising, but Terry-Hutson remained proud of what her young team accomplished throughout the season.
“To go 19–1 in this conference was a challenging feat,” she said. “Really proud of our kids. We know this isn’t the last game for us. So we’re going to bottle this up and get better for postseason play.”
Air Force’s offense proved difficult to contain throughout the game, particularly guard Milani Perry, who ignited the Falcons’ attack. San Diego State tried several defensive adjustments to slow her down, but the execution never quite clicked.
Mountain West Player of the Year Award winner, Nala Williams took responsibility for some of the defensive struggles.
“Some changes we tried to do was double her coming off the screens and also on some of the on-ball screens,” Williams said. “But our communication wasn’t great today and that’s due to me. I take big responsibility for her game, but she also played an amazing basketball game as well, so I give her credit.”
The Falcons’ disciplined style disrupted San Diego State on both ends of the floor. After the Aztecs shot a blistering 65 percent from three-point range in their previous matchup with Air Force just days earlier, the perimeter game never found the same rhythm.
“They’re a great defensive team,” Williams said. “They’re just super disciplined going into every single game. The game plan could be different based on who shot well in past games. They say the tournament is a new season, and we saw that from Air Force today.”
The Falcons’ offensive efficiency also stood out. Terry-Hutson pointed out that allowing 83 points to Air Force was far outside the norm and ultimately the deciding factor.
“We still scored 76 points. That should be enough to win,” she said. “The offense wasn’t the issue. It wasn’t our best or cleanest game, but it was defensively where we lost the game. We can’t give up 83 points and expect to win.”
Along with Perry’s performance, Air Force received key contributions from several other players, something that frustrated the Aztecs coaching staff.
“For me it was defensively some of the others that we didn’t do a great job of,” Terry-Hutson said. “Perry does a great job getting to her spot and rising up and shooting it, and they run a lot of stuff for her to get that shot. She was magnificent.”
Still, San Diego State continued to fight until the final moments. Forward Nat Martinez said the team never felt the game was out of reach.
“We felt like the game wasn’t over until it was over,” Martinez said. “Until it says 0:00 we’re going to put our heart and soul into the game. That’s what you guys witnessed out there.”
Sophomore standout Naomi Panganiban delivered one of the brightest performances in the loss, finishing with 29 points while adding six assists without committing a turnover. Terry-Hutson praised the young guard’s competitiveness and leadership during a late rally attempt.
“She kind of put us on her back and made some big-time shots,” Terry-Hutson said. “That’s just who she is. We talk about having a little dog in us, and she definitely has that.”
The loss served as a reminder of how thin the margin can be in postseason basketball, but the Aztecs believe the experience can still help a roster that remains one of the youngest in the conference.
“There’s so much to learn, especially from a game like this,” Martinez said. “Just taking this as kind of a chip on our shoulder. Like coach said, we’re looking forward to the postseason.”
While the defeat likely ended any realistic chance at an at-large berth to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament, Terry-Hutson acknowledged the challenge of coming from a league that often receives only one tournament bid. Still, she hopes the committee recognizes San Diego State’s impressive résumé.
“We’re probably a one-bid league,” she said. “Whoever wins this tournament will get invited to the NCAA. But I do hope they see the body of work that we’ve put together and consider us.”
If that opportunity doesn’t materialize, the Aztecs are optimistic about continuing their season in another postseason event, likely the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.
For Terry-Hutson, the loss did little to diminish what this group accomplished together.
“I huddled them before the game and told them how special this group is,” she said. “They’ve done things this year that I’ve never been a part of. There were a lot of question marks coming into the season because we lost so much from last year and had such a young team. But these kids are resilient, competitive and very unselfish. That’s what allowed us to put the season together that we have.”
The disappointment of the upset may linger for a while, but in sport as is true to life, it’s the lessons learned in defeat that truly illuminate the glory that is still yet to be. This SDSU Women’s basketball program is just scratching the surface of what it can become.
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