March 10, 2015
San Jose, Calif. - After a record-setting win against Utah State in the opening round, the San José State women's basketball team faces top-seeded Colorado State on Tuesday in the second round of the 2015 Mountain West Tournament.
2015 Mountain West Tournament
#8 San Jose State Spartans
vs.
#1 Colorado State Rams
Tuesday, March 10, 12:00 p.m.
Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev.
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.
SPARTANS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST TOURNAMENT
San José State, in its second year in the Mountain West, is 1-1 all-time in the conference tournament. The Spartans set six Mountain West Tournament scoring records in its 99-85 victory over Utah State (3/9). Last year, as the 10th seed, the Spartans lost to UNLV 78-75 in the opening round of the 2015 MW Tournament.
A TOURNAMENT WIN...FINALLY
In each of the last three seasons, San José State has been eliminated in the first round of its conference tournament by four, two and three points, respectively. With its 99-85 victory over Utah State in the opening round of the 2015 MW Tournament, the Spartans won a tournament game for the first time since the opening round of the WAC Tournament at the end of the 2007-08 season.
WOODBERRY IS POSITIVELY ON FIRE
How well is Rebecca Woodberry (Sr., F, Phoenix, Ariz.) shooting from long range right now? In her last two games, both Spartans victories, Woodberry is 16-for-25/64 percent. She was 8-for-14 at UNLV (3/6) which set a record for three-pointers in a game in Cox Pavilion. Then three days later, in the opening game of the 2015 MW Tournament, Woodberry was right back at it again...only better. She made 8-of 11 threes (73 percent) and equaled a 13-year old MW Tournament record while setting both the opening round record and senior record for three pointers in a game.
BYRD SAYS "GET THAT OUT OF HERE"
With three blocks in the Spartans 99-85 win over Utah State in the opening round of the 2015 MW Tournament, Riana Byrd (Jr., C, Richmond, Calif.) became the San José State women's basketball career blocked shots leader. She eclipsed San Jose State Hall of Famer Elinor Banks' record, which stood since 1981. Banks completed her career with 156 blocked shots. Byrd, a junior, now holds the record with 157.
SCORING, WINNING AND BREAKING RECORDS
With its 99-85 win over Utah State (3/9) the Spartans set six Mountain West Tournament records. And away we go... starting with the most points in a game with 99. That breaks the old record of 95 set by Colorado State last year in a triple-overtime game against Wyoming. San José State also broke records for most points in a half (59), field goals made (36), attempted (83), three-pointers made (14) and attempted (35). And obviously, each is a record for an opening round game.
CUNNIGAN REACHES 2,000-CAREER POINTS
Ta'Rea Cunnigan (Sr., G, Winchester, Calif.), San José State's career-scoring leader (men and women's programs), is the first player in school history to score 2,000-career points. Cunnigan entered the game at UNLV (3/6), needing 23 points to reach 2,000 for her career. She led the Spartans with 28, in a 99-97 victory. It was her 103rd double-figure scoring effort in 119 career games.
Cunnigan became the 338th player in the modern era of Division I Women's Basketball (1981-2015) to reach 2,000 points. To date Cunnigan has 2,030-career points.
TA'REA WRITES REWRITES HISTORY
In addition to being the only basketball player in San José State history (man or woman) to score 1,800, then 1,900 and now 2,000-career points, Ta'Rea Cunnigan (Sr., G, Winchester, Calif.) also holds the school record (man or woman) for free throws (537) and free throw attempts (737).
With her second field goal attempt against Utah State (3/9), Cunnigan set the school shot attempts record (man or woman) with 1,687 and will begin the game against Colorado State (3/10) with 1,703 career field goal attempts. In addition, when the ball was tipped in that same game, Cunnigan equaled the most games played in program history (120) and will set a new record of 121 game when the ball is tipped against Colorado State.
In addition, among Spartan women's basketball players, she ranks second in scoring average (16.9/g), third in field goals (677), fourth in steals (258), sixth in both three-pointers (139), three-point attempts (456) and free throw percentage (72.9%) and finally, she is ninth in assists (277).
THE SERIES WITH COLORADO STATE
The Rams have dominated the series to the tune of a 9-to-2 advantage. With both teams part of the Mountain West, San José State has won only once in four tries. How bad has it been, Colorado State has beaten the Spartans by an average of 24 points per game in its nine wins. But we're in Vegas...the odds have to turn around!!!
CUNNIGAN NAMED ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST
By a vote of the conference's 11 head coaches, Ta'Rea Cunnigan (Sr., G, Winchester, Calif.) has been named a 2015 All-Mountain West performer. The selection marks the fourth time in as many years that Cunnigan has been honored with postseason all-conference recognition. The honor is based on play in conference games only. Cunnigan was the third leading scorer in MW games (18.7/g) and hit 45.1 percent of her field goal attempts, second highest in the conference. She tied for 12th in
free throw percentage (.642) and steals (1.6/g).
SINGLE-SEASON SCORING MARK...BYE BYE
The 2013-14 Spartans were the most prolific scoring team in program history, passing the 2,300-point mark for the first time and finishing the year with 2,308, an average 76.9 points per game. The 2014-15 Spartans shattered that and are still going. The team has scored 2,380 points through 30 games, an average of 79.3 per game. If the maintain their season scoring average, they will become just the second team in Mountain West history to score more than 2,400 points in a season.
PUTTING UP POINTS
The 2014-15 Spartans are one of the highest scoring teams in the nation and led the Mountain West from the opening week. Entering the MW Tournament, SJSU ranked 11th (78.7 ppg) in the nation and last week dropped out of the top-10 for the first time this year. For parts of four weeks, from December 6 through December 23, San José State was the top scoring team in the nation.
LUCKY 13? WERE MOVIN ON TO 14!
SJSU won its 13th game of the season, with a 99-97 victory at UNLV (3/6) and then dispatched Utah State 99-85 in the first round of the 2015 Mountain West Tournament. The last time San José State won more than 13 games in a year came in 2004-05, when the late Janice Richard guided her Spartans to an 18-12 mark.