SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — The San Diego State Aztecs used a dominant second quarter to seize control and never looked back, defeating the New Mexico Lobos 73-56 in a Mountain West women’s basketball game Wednesday afternoon at Viejas Arena.

A crowd of 8,054 watched the Aztecs improve to 13-3 overall, while the Lobos fell to 12-6.

The most important part of the game was a decisive 25-point second-quarter outburst by San Diego State that transformed an early deficit into a commanding lead. New Mexico had started strong, opening a 16-10 lead after the first quarter behind early baskets from Emma Najjuma and Destinee Hooks. The Lobos’ advantage grew to 19-10 following a Laila Abdurraqib three-pointer early in the second period.

From that point, the game flipped entirely. The Aztecs embarked on a 25-6 run to close the half, outscoring New Mexico 25-13 in the quarter to take a 35-29 lead into halftime. The surge was fueled by balanced scoring and defensive pressure. Kennedy Lee and Naomi Panganiban hit key three-pointers, Bailey Barnhard scored inside and at the free-throw line, and Nala Williams facilitated the offense while contributing defensively with two blocks in the half. The Aztecs converted New Mexico turnovers into 14 points by game’s end, with many of those coming during this pivotal stretch.

San Diego State’s defense stifled the Lobos, holding them to nine points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. The Aztecs also won the battle in the paint, 22-20, and outscored New Mexico 14-5 off turnovers.

Williams led all players with a stat line of 14 points, five assists and two blocks in 27 minutes for San Diego State. Lee added 15 points, and Barnhard chipped in 11. The Aztecs had six players score at least eight points in a balanced offensive effort.

For New Mexico, Hooks, a 5-foot-9 guard from Indianapolis, led the way with 18 points in 29 minutes. Abdurraqib, a 5-6 guard from Fishers, Indiana, contributed 13 points. The Lobos’ offense, however, could not sustain its early rhythm against the Aztecs’ defensive adjustments after the first quarter.

The win continued a strong start to conference play for San Diego State, which entered as a pregame favorite and lived up to its projected 80.5% win probability by the Interstat ELO system. The total score of 129 fell under the over/under line of 133.5.

New Mexico, coming off a home loss to Nevada, has now dropped two of its last three after a promising start to league play. The Lobos will look to rebound at home against Grand Canyon on Saturday.

San Diego State, which edged Utah State in its previous outing, travels to face UNLV on Saturday, aiming to maintain its position atop the Mountain West standings.

The game was officiated under Mountain West conference supervision.