Dec. 7, 2013
Sacramento, Calif. - The San José State women's basketball team shot a season-best 50 percent from the floor and four players scored in double figures, but a 6-to-2 spurt in the last two minutes gave the Sacramento State Hornets a 103-99 victory of Saturday afternoon.
Classye James, who had season-bests with 23 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, hit a layup with 1:56 to play to tie the game at 97-97.
The Hornets (6-1) reeled off buckets on their next two possessions and hit one-of-two free throws to take a five-point lead with 47 ticks left. A Jasmine Smith layup with 31 seconds to play made it a three-point game, 102-99.
San José State (4-5) was forced to foul. With 12 seconds to play Alle Moreno made the second of two free throws and sealed the four-point win. A Rebecca Woodberry 3-pointer as time expired was no good.
"This was the most complete game we've had this year," head coach Jamie Craighead said, "and it came in a very hostile environment. I'm really happy with our effort."
Riana Byrd and Smith each had double doubles, 14 points and 12 rebounds and 22 points and 13 rebounds, respectively. Ta'Rea Cunnigan led the team with 24 points and three blocks.
"We were a bit nervous early on," said Craighead of her team's 17 turnovers in the first half, "but settled down and committed just six turnovers in the second half. We worked on breaking their press in practice and after a couple of time of seeing it, we handled it pretty well."
The Spartans outrebounded Sacramento State 61-to-49 and scored a season-best 70 points in the paint. Their 42 defensive boards led to a 28-to-6 advantage in fast break points.
San José State had a slight advantage in field goals (40-to-38) and free throws (17-to-15), but the difference in the game was in 3-pointers. The Hornets hit 12 to the Spartans two.
"We normally hit about eight of those a game," said Craighead. "To shoot just 20 percent is unbelievable. And for Becca (Woodberry), who normally hits more than three a game, to go 1-for-10 is something that is really out of the ordinary."
Sacramento State ripped off the first seven points of the game in the first minute, but the Spartans battled right back to tie it at 7-7. It was one of five ties in the half. The lead changed hands seven times before San José State took a 54-51 lead into the locker rooms on a season-high 60 percent shooting (21-for-35).
A James layup inside 13 minutes to play staked the Spartans to a 70-68 lead. Over the next five minutes and 30 seconds Sacramento State outscored San José State 14-to-4 to take and eight-point lead.
The lead was a high of nine points, 87-78, with 6:41 to play, but over the next three minutes the Spartans erased the advantage. With 3:45 left, the game was tied for the ninth time, at 91-91 and for the 10th and final time at 97-97 with 1:56 left.
The Hornets had five players who scored in double figures led by Moreno, who finished with a game-high 28 points.
The Spartans have 10 days off before returning to Walt McPherson Court on December 18 against the Georgia State Panthers. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
San Jose State vs Sacramento State
12/07/13 2:05 PM at Sacramento, Calif. (The Nest)
At Sacramento, Calif. (The Nest)
SACRAMENTO STATE 103, SAN JOSE STATE 99
SAN JOSE STATE (4-5)
Cunnigan, Ta'Rea 10-17 4-6 24; James, Classye 10-17 3-5 23; Smith, Jasmine
11-14 0-1 22; Byrd, Riana 6-12 2-5 14; Woodberry, Rebecca 1-11 4-4 7; WEST,
Rachol 1-6 4-4 7; Hall, Britta 1-2 0-0 2; Baird, Paris 0-0 0-0 0. Totals
40-79 17-25 99.
SACRAMENTO STATE (6-1)
MORENO, Alle 9-15 6-8 28; BURSE, Takara 7-11 1-4 16; HILLIARD, Fantasia 6-15
3-9 16; CHENIER, Andrea 3-14 2-4 10; HASCHEFF, Gigi 5-11 0-1 10; SMITH,
Shanti 3-4 1-2 9; HUNTINGTON, Margaret 3-11 2-4 9; GENNETT, Hallie 2-9 0-0
5; CRENSHAW, Ashlyn 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 38-91 15-32 103.
San Jose State................ 54 45 - 99
Sacramento State.............. 51 52 - 103
3-point goals--San Jose State 2-19 (West, Rachol 1-4; Woodberry, Rebecca
1-10; James, Classye 0-2; Cunnigan, Ta'Rea 0-3), Sacramento State 12-38
(MORENO, Alle 4-9; SMITH, Shanti 2-3; CHENIER, Andrea 2-7; GENNETT, Hallie
1-8; HILLIARD, Fantasia 1-3; BURSE, Takara 1-4; HUNTINGTON, Margaret 1-1;
HASCHEFF, Gigi 0-3). Fouled out--San Jose State-None, Sacramento
State-SMITH, Shanti. Rebounds--San Jose State 61 (Woodberry, Rebecca 14),
Sacramento State 49 (HUNTINGTON, Margaret 10). Assists--San Jose State 20
(James, Classye 8), Sacramento State 16 (HASCHEFF, Gigi 5). Total fouls--San
Jose State 25, Sacramento State 21. Technical fouls--San Jose State-None,
Sacramento State-None. A-481