Nov. 25, 2014
San Jose, Calif. - In their first appearance in Haas Pavilion since a 68-66 win over the Bears in the 2009-10 season, the San José State women's basketball team takes on California on Friday in the opening game of the Cal Classic and then with face either Cincinnati or Creighton on Saturday evening.
GAMES 5 & 6
at #14 California (4-0)
Friday, November 28, 5:30 p.m.
Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, Calif.
vs. Cincinnati (1-2)/Creighton (2-2)
Saturday, November 29, 5:00/7:00 p.m.
Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, Calif.
Live stats available at www.sjsuspartans.com
LIVE STATS
Fans can view live stats of all San José State women's basketball games, home and away, by accessing the "Gametracker" feature at www.sjsuspartans.com. Click on the link on the women's basketball schedule page to follow the action.
VIDEO STREAMING
Spartan Digital is your all-access passport to Spartan Athletics. For live and recorded video/audio of San José State women's basketball home, Mountain West (road and home) and select road contests, Spartan Digital is your home. Go to Spartan Digital at top of the Spartans Athletics home page or go to www.sjsuspartans.com/video.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with all 16 of San José State's team through social media sites Twitter and Facebook. For Twitter go to @sjsuathletics and on Facebook become friends with Sammy Spartan.
The women's basketball Twitter handle is @sjswbb and Facebook page is /SanJoseStateWBB.
RADIO COVERAGE
Fans across the nation can now listen to every Spartans' women's home game via Stretch Internet Radio. KSJS-FM (90.5 FM, San Jose) also originates home broadcasts and select road contests.
YOU WANT OFFENSE...WE GOT OFFENSE
The Spartans are scoring at a 94.3 points per game clip so far this season, which is the sixth highest scoring average in the nation. San José State has scored at least 80 points in each of its first four games and leads the Mountain West in point production. Against Columbia (11/16) the team set a program and conference record for points in a game, when they dropped 119 on the Lions.
CAN YOU HANDLE PRESSURE
It's only four games, but the Spartans showed an inkling of what their pressure defense is capable of this year. SJSU has forced its opponents to turn the ball over 120 times and in those, made 62 steals. San José State made those opponent miscues pay off to the tune of a 135-44 advantage in points off turnovers. Nationally, the team ranks third in turnover margin at +16 and 12th in steals per game grabbing 14.8 per game.
GAME TIMES SET FOR CAL CLASSIC
The Cal Bears and Spartans will play the opening game of the Cal Classic on November 28 and tip off time is now set for 5:30 p.m. in Haas Pavilion.
If San José State wins that game they will play for the championship on Saturday, November 29 at 7:00 p. m., against the winner of a game between Cincinnati and Creighton. If the Spartans lose to Cal, they would play the consolation game on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. against the loser of Cincinnati vs. Creighton.
THREES ARE THE NAME OF THE GAME
San José State is hitting an average of nine 3-point field goals per game, which ranks 17th in the nation, but taking and hitting three is nothing new under second-year head coach Jamie Craighead.
With 245 made 3-pointers and 793 attempts, the 2013-14 Spartans shattered the program's previous marks in each category. The previous record of 146 3-pointers in the 27 games (1999-00) was equaled in just 20 games (at UNLV 1/29) last season. In addition, they passed the previous record for attempts in a season (493 in 29 games in 2000-01) in that same game.
Both marks set Mountain West Conference records as well. Fresno State held the single-season and conference season records.
WOODBERRY PICK UP RIGHT WHERE SHE LEFT OFF IN 2013-14
Rebecca Woodberry (Sr., F, Phoenix, Ariz.) finished the 2013-14 season as the 13th best 3-point shooter in the nation (3.1/g). Through four games of 2014-15 she is right on her pace from last year (3.0/g) and ranked 37th in the nation. She has scored in double figures in three of four games this year, including a 30-point outburst at Utah (11/14) to open the campaign.
The single-season record holder for 3-pointers (90 in 2013-14), Woodberry became the seventh player in program history to reach 100 made threes when she drained four at UC Riverside (11/20). She has made 102 3-pointers in 33-career games at San José State.
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA
The Bears are ranked No. 14 in the latest USA Today top-25 poll, and come into their match up with the San José State with a 4-0 record after an 82-70 win over Missouri in the championship game of the Rainbow Wahine Classic.
California is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. She brought a 79-24 record at Cal into the season and an overall record of 135-63 in six seasons as a Division I head coach.
The Bears have four players averaging double figures in the scoring column. They are led by a pair of forwards, senior Reshanda Gray (19.3 ppg., 6.0 reb.) and freshman Mikayla Cowling (16.0 ppg., 5.8 reb.). Courtney Range, a sophomore forward, is the team's leading rebounder at 9.3 per game and senior guard Brittany Boyd tops the squad with 8.3 assists per outing.
Cal holds the advantage in the all-time series 23-9. In games contested in Berkeley, the Spartans are just 3-13, but shocked the Bears with a 68-66 win in 2009-10, their last foray into Haas Pavilion.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
The Bearcats come into the Cal Classic with a 1-2 record after a 85-54 loss at Iowa State last week.
Cincinnati is under the direction of six-year head coach Jamelle Elliott. She brought a 62-90 career record into the season, all at Cincinnati.
The Bearcats have three players averaging double figures. The are led by junior guard Jasmine Whitfield (16.0 ppg., 8.3 reb.) and sophomore forward Marley Hill (14.7 ppg.), who also paces the team in rebounding (9.0/g). Ana Owens, a freshman guard, tops the squad with 4.7 assists per contest.
If the teams face off on Saturday, it will be the first time they have met.
SCOUTING CREIGHTON
The Bluejays come into the Cal Classic with a 2-2 record after a 96-60 loss at UConn last week.
Creighton is under the direction of 13th-year head coach Jim Flanery. He brought a 235-151 career record into the season, all at Creighton.
The Bluejays have two players averaging double figures. The are led by junior guard Marissa Janning (17.3 ppg., 3.3 reb.) and senior forward Alexis Akin-Otiko (10.3 ppg.), who also paces the team in rebounding (5.3/g). Sophomore guard MC McGrory tops the squad with 3.3 assists per outing.
If the teams face off on Saturday, it will be the first time they have met.