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Aztecs Face LSU In NCAA First Round This Sunday

Mar. 12, 2012
SDSU Athletics

The San Diego State women's basketball team earned its third NCAA tournament bid in the last four years and ninth in program history, as the 12th-seeded Aztecs will take on host and fifth-seeded LSU on Sunday, March 18, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La., beginning at approximately 6:45 p.m. CT (4:45 p.m. PT).

"Even though we know better than to buy into any of the projected brackets, I was a little surprised in that (Baton Rouge) wasn't even on our radar," SDSU head coach Beth Burns said. "I thought that with the way we played this past weekend, winning all three games by double-digits, and perhaps the tradition of our program, we got bumped up a few spots into a No. 12 seed. What I do know is that we're excited and we'll be prepared to not only represent San Diego State, but also the Mountain West Conference."

SDSU earned an automatic bid to the tournament, after winning the Mountain West Conference championship last Saturday in Las Vegas with a 57-43 victory over New Mexico. The Aztecs were a No. 11 seed in their most recent NCAA appearance in 2010, when they defeated No. 6 Texas and No. 3 West Virginia to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. San Diego State was tabbed a No. 10 seed in 2009, downing No. 7 DePaul before falling to No. 2 Stanford at Viejas Arena.

The Aztecs will meet the Tigers for the first in school history and own a record of 3-2 against current members of the Southeastern Conference. SDSU's last meeting vs. an SEC squad came in 2010, when it scored a 66-55 home victory over Auburn. The program is 0-1 all-time vs. SEC schools in the NCAA championships, falling at Georgia back in 1993.

The winner of the SDSU-LSU game will play the winner of the No. 4 Penn State vs. No. 13 UTEP game on Tuesday, March 20, beginning at 8:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. PT) for the chance to advance to the Sweet 16 and a spot in the Kingston (R.I.) regional, March 25 and 27.

Sunday's game will be televised live on ESPN2, while Chris Ello will have the call from Baton Rouge on XTRA Sports 1360 AM. For ticket information, contact the Aztec Ticket Office at Qualcomm Stadium Ticket Window E or over the phone at (619) 283-7378.

2012 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship
First & Second Rounds
At Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

Sunday, March 18, 2012
4:15 p.m. CT (2:15 p.m. PT) - No. 13 UTEP vs. No. 4 Penn State (ESPN2)
6:45 p.m. CT approx. (4:45 p.m. PT)* - No. 12 San Diego State at No. 5 LSU (ESPN2/XTRA Sports 1360)

Tuesday, March 20, 2012
8:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. PT) - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (ESPN 2/XTRA Sports 1360)

*SDSU's game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the UTEP-Penn State game.