San José, Calif. - San José State returns to action on Wednesday at Nevada in search of its fourth win in its first five conference games this season.
The Wolf Pack come into the week with a record of 7-7 (0-3 Mountain West) and have been led by guard Essence Booker and forward Imani Lacy, each topping the team with 12.0 points per game. Guard Nia Alexander is leading the Pack on the glass, pulling down an average of 6.2 rebounds per game.
The Spartans boast the conference's leading scorer and the nation's top guard in the form of Ayzhiana Basallo. The sophomore is the only player in the country to average at least 20 points and 5.5 assists per game as the month of January rolls on.
Wednesday's contest will be televised by Nevada Sports Net and streamed on the Mountain West Network with Alex Margulies and Ashlee Jones on the call. Fans can also follow the Spartans on social media all season long by following @SanJoseStateWBB on Twitter or @sjswbb on Instagram.
STORYLINES
NAVIGATING NEVADA
Wednesday's meeting will serve as the 15th game of the season for Nevada. The team currently owns a 7-7 record, most recently falling in a 54-40 decision on Saturday at Boise State. The Wolf Pack are still in search of their first Mountain West win after starting conference play 0-3.
It's a pair of sophomores who power the Nevada offense as guard Essence Booker and forward Imani Lacy top the team with 12.0 points per game. Guard Nia Alexander is leading the Pack on the glass, pulling down an average of 6.2 rebounds per game.
Wednesday's contest will mark Nevada's first home game after back-to-back tilts on the road. The team enters this week with a 5-2 record at the Lawlor Events Center.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD
> Match the program's best five-game start to conference play since 2015-16 season
> Make this team quickest to reach 10 wins at SJSU since 2004-05 campaign (started 10-6)
> Be better than a loss
SJSU VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Overall, San José State is 114-221 against the current make up of schools in the Mountain West. The Spartans enter having won seven of their last 10 conference games, the most recent victory coming at New Mexico on Wednesday.
Guard Megan Anderson led her team in the 81-80 victory at The Pit, tallying 20 points on six three-pointers in the winning effort. After Wednesday's tilt, San José State's next Mountain West game will come on Saturday at Colorado State.
20/20 CLUB
Grad transfer Tyra Whitehead became just the second player in program history to join the 20/20 Club over the weekend, tallying 22 points and 20 rebounds against Fresno State. Whitehead is just the 13th player in all of Division I to accomplish the feat this season and is the first to do so at San José State since Lora Alexander poured in 27 points and grabbed 20 rebounds against UC Santa Barbara on February 23, 1989.
MORE WHITEHEAD
Forward Tyra Whitehead has been producing all year in her first season on-campus at San José State. The Wake Forest transfer ranks No. 15 in all of Division I and is first in the Mountain West with 148 rebounds. Her six double-doubles on the season slots her at second in the conference and 33rd nationally.
AYZHIANA'S AWARDS
Point guard Ayzhiana Basallo has already garnered five weekly awards this season. The sophomore was named the College Sports Madness High-Major Player of the Week (and Mountain West Player of the Week, her second of the year from CSM) back on Dec. 9 after leading her team to a pair of victories to tip-off conference play. Basallo had previously earned back-to-back Mountain West Player of the Week awards from the conference office in November.
BASALLO BREAKDOWN
Whitehead isn't the only transfer to make an early difference this season. Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo is playing as well as any guard in the country, ranking 12th nationally in points per game (20.8) and No. 11 in assists with 5.7 per game. She is also one of the nation's top free throw shooters, slotted sixth in Division I with 78 made free throws.
Basallo is the only player in the country to average at least 20 points and 5.5 assists per game.
WOLF PACK TIES
Assistant coach Arielle Wideman competed for the Nevada women's basketball team for four years, spending the 2010-14 seasons in Reno. She finished her collegiate playing career ranked third in program history with 383 assists and was named an All-Mountain West performer after her senior season.
FIRST AT THE PIT
San José State's 81-80 win on Wednesday in Albuquerque marked the program's first-ever victory at New Mexico.
ACTUALLY, STEALING IS GOOD
San José State is ranked No. 4 nationally with 182 steals in 15 games. Forward Tyra Whitehead is slotted 35th in the country in that category with 36 thieveries on the year. Guards Fieme'a Hafoka (27 steals) and Danae Marquez (25) are also stealing the ball at a high rate as the month of January rolls on.
ASSIST U
The Spartans have made plenty of noise on the offensive end of the floor as well this season. San José State is currently ranked No. 5 in all of Division I with 285 assists and have been led by sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo, who is ranked No. 11 nationally with 5.7 assists per game. Guards Danae Marquez (4.1 per game) and Raziya Potter (3.4) are following closely behind Basallo on the SJSU assists list.
SETTING SOME SCHOOL HISTORY
San José State set multiple school records in its Dec. 14 victory over La Verne. The 128 points scored by the Spartans set a program record for scoring in a single game, topping its previous high of 119 (vs. Columbia, 2014). Its 66-point win broke a record for margin of victory that had stood since 1979 (65 vs. Cal Poly, 1979). In addition, SJSU's 44 made field goals matched the school record for makes in a single game, a mark that stood since Jan. 4, 1979 (44 vs. Arizona). Lastly, its 128 points is the second-most scored by a Division I team this season (Coastal Carolina, 132).
LEWIS IN LAHAINA
Forward Cydni Lewis was named to the Maui Jim Maui Classic All-Tournament Team after shining in a pair of performances. The forward came off the bench and exploded for 28 points and seven rebounds and steals in Lahaina.
NOT BAD FOR STARTERS
SJSU's 3-0 start to conference play was its best opening to Mountain West action since the 2015-16 campaign. In addition, the team's 7-3 record to open the year marked the program's best mark through 10 games since the 2004-05 campaign.
MAKING MAUI HISTORY
Senior Fieme'a Hafoka made a bit of history when she stepped on the floor on Dec. 18 against BYU, becoming the first-ever Maui native to play in a Division I women's basketball game on the island. Hafoka is a product of Kihei, Hawaii and played many of her high school games in the Lahaina Civic Center.
ROAD WARRIORS (OR SPARTANS)
San José State's 76-61 victory at Utah State earlier this month marked the team's second road win of the season. This is the earliest the program has tallied multiple road victories since the 2004-05 campaign, when it knocked off UC Irvine, San Francisco and New Mexico State all away from home within the team's first seven games.
THREE'S COMPANY
San José State finished its victory over Eastern Washington last month shooting 61 percent from three-point range (14-of-23). The mark set a single-game record for three-point percentage in the Jamie Craighead era at SJSU.
20 ON 22's 20TH
Point guard Danae Marquez celebrated her 20th birthday in fine fashion last month, dropping 20 points to lead all scorers en route to her team's 84-66 victory over Eastern Washington. Not just a scoring threat, Marquez peppered the stat-sheet with three assists and one steal in the win.
CALL IT A COMEBACK
San José State rallied from as many as 14 points down at one point before emerging for its 95-88 victory over Buffalo in November. The team made huge second half surges in its back-to-back wins over both the Bulls and San Diego, outscoring its opponents 53-25 in the third quarter alone. It then rallied from 15 points down to post an 81-80 victory at New Mexico on New Year's Day.
SPARTANS IN THE NEWS
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MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEDIA INFORMATION
For any information concerning Mountain West basketball, contact Melissa Katz, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications. Mountain West information is also available online at www.themw.com.