Dec. 21, 2014
San Jose, Calif. - Looking to take a winning record into Mountain West Conference play, the San José State women's basketball team wraps up non-conference play hosting the Sacramento State Hornets on Monday afternoon.
GAME 11
at Sacramento State (2-8)
Monday, December 22, 2:00 p.m.
The Event Center, San Jose, Calif.
Streaming video is available on the Spartan Digital Network at www.sjsuspartans.com/video
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.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TICKETS
Tickets for San José State women's basketball home games are free for all SJSU students with a valid student ID. Adult tickets are $5.00 and $3.00 for youth (12 and under).
Groups of 20 or more can buy discounted tickets at $3.00 per person by 5:00 p.m. the business day before the game via the Spartan Ticket Office at (408) 924-SJTX (7589) or (877) SJSUTIX (757-8849).
The Event Center Box Office opens two hours prior to tip-off for any weekend, holiday game or doubleheader and is open regular business hours (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) for weekday games or weekday doubleheaders.
PARKING
Parking for all San José State women's basketball games is in the University's Seventh Street Parking Garage. The Seventh Street Garage, located on the Northwest corner of San Salvador Street and Seventh Street, can be accessed through Seventh Street. Parking is $5.00.
SPARTANS HOLIDAY GIFT TO THE COMMUNITY
In the spirit of the season, the San José State women's basketball team is inviting the entire community of San Jose to its December 22 game against Sacramento State...FREE OF CHARGE! It's the program's gift to San Jose. Game time is at 2:00 p.m. in The Event Center.
OFFENSE...WE GOT OFFENSE...IT LEADS THE NATION!
The Spartans are scoring at a 92.3 points per game clip, which is the highest scoring average in the nation. San José State is in rarefied air among the likes of No. 9 Baylor (91.8 ppg), No. 25 DePaul (89.6 ppg), No. 2 UConn (89.3 ppg) and No. 5 Notre Dame (89.1 ppg) in the top-5 in scoring. Against Columbia (11/16) the team set a program and conference record for points in a game, when they dropped 119 on the Lions, which is the fourth highest single-game point total in the NCAA this year.
CAN YOU HANDLE PRESSURE...SPARTANS 2ND IN THE NCAA IN TURNOVER MARGIN
Through nine games the Spartans have shown an inkling of what their pressure defense is capable. SJSU has forced its opponents to turn the ball over 230 times and in those, made 120 steals. San José State made those opponent miscues pay off to the tune of a 254-112 advantage in points off turnovers. Nationally, the team ranks second in turnover margin at +11.89 and 12th in steals per game grabbing 13.0 per game.
SHARING IS CARING...SAN JOSE STATE RANKS 27TH NATIONALLY IN ASSISTS
At 16.9 assists per game the Spartans are ranked second in the Mountain West Conference and are 27th in the nation. Aniya Baker (So, PG, Perris, Calif.) leads the team with 4.9 assists per game, which is good for third among MW performers and 50th nationally. Chereese Thomas (Gr., PG, Dublin, Calif.) is also in the top-10 in the conference, seventh, at 3.2 assists per outing.
THREES ARE THERE FOR THE TAKING...SJSU IS 9TH IN THE NATION IN MADE 3-POINTERS
San José State is hitting an average of 9.0 shots from beyond the arc per game, which ranks ninth in the nation, but taking and hitting threes are nothing new under 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.
CAREER FREE THROW RECORD FALLS IN UC DAVIS WIN
By hitting each of her six free throw attempts in the Spartans win over UC Davis (12/10), Ta'Rea Cunnigan (Sr., G, Winchester, Calif.) set a new San José State career free throw record. Cunnigan passed Cricket Williams (466 from 2001-04) to establish the new record 471...and counting. Cunnigan's 471 made free throws are the record for the school (men's or women's program). She glided past the men's record, Adrian Oliver's 442 free throws from 2009-11, in the team's win at UC Irvine (11/22).
CUNNIGAN NEARS SAN JOSÉ STATE SCORING RECORDS
Ta'Rea Cunnigan (Sr., G, Winchester, Calif.) ranks fourth on the program's career scoring list with 1,655 points. She enters the game against Sacramento State 105 points behind all-time women's scoring champion Karen Mason (1,760 points from 1978-81) and 112 behind Ricky Berry (1,767 points from 1986-88) for the school's all-time record.
She is closing in on Elinor Banks (1,666 points from 1978-81) in third place on the program's career scoring list. Just past Banks is Cricket Williams (1,672 points from 2001-04), who occupies second place. Then Cunnigan will begin a final assault on the women's and then the school's all-time records.
EVERYBODY BRINGS SOMETHING TO THE PARTY!
In 2014-15, San José State is getting production up and down its lineup. Each of the 11 Spartans who have played in the first nine games are averaging double digit minutes. The bench has scored 310 of the team's 831 points; 38% of the total production. In four of its nine games, all 11 have been in the scoring column and in four of the other five 9 players have scored.
CUNNIGAN ABOUT TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP UP IN ANOTHER CAREER CATEGORY
In addition to the scoring record, in which Ta'Rea Cunnigan (Sr., G, Winchester, Calif.) is 17 points from third place (Elinor Banks - 1,672) and 21 from second (Cricket Williams - 1,676), she is poised to move up a spot on three more career lists very shortly.
Cunnigan is two 3-pointers from Cricket Williams for sixth place on the 3-pointers made list.
With her steal at USF, she moved into fourth place on the all-time steals list (227) passing Kari Steele (226 from 1994-97). Finally, she passed Hulett Brooks (1,383 from 1990, 1992-94) for fifth place on the career field goal attempts. Cunnigan currently has attempted 1,394 shots in her Spartans career.
CUNNIGAN AMONG ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS IN THE NCAA
Among Division I women's basketball players, Ta'Rea Cunnigan (Sr., G, Winchester, Calif.) ranks first in free throw attempts (636) and free throws made (471). She is sixth in steal average (2.28/g) and eighth in steals (226). Her 1,394 field goal attempts are 10th and she is the seventh leading scorer among active player with 1,655 career points.
SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE
The Hornets are a member of the Big Sky Conference, and come into their match up with San José State with an 2-8 record. In its last game, Sacramento State defeated the Utah State Aggies 102-922 in Sacramento.
Sac State is under the direction of second-year head coach Bunky Harkleroad. He brings a 19-20 record with the program into this game.
The Hornets have two players scoring in double figures. They are led by a senior point guard Fantasia Hilliard, who tops the squad in points (13.6/g), assists (3.9/g) and steals (2.3/g). Hallie Gennett, a sophomore forward, is averaging 12.6 ppg. Finally, sophomore forward Margaret Huntington leads the team at 6.1 rebounds per game.
This will be the 27th meeting between these programs, with Spartans holding an 14-12 lead in the all-time series. In games played in San Jose, SJSU holds 8-3 advantage, and have won each of the last five in The Event Center. The Hornets defeated the San José State in Sacramento last year 103-99.