Nov. 12, 2015
San Jose, Calif. - The San Jose State women's basketball team embarks on the 2015-16 regular season on Friday evening when it hosts the Southern Oregon Raiders on Walt McPherson Court. The teams combined last year for 201 total points in a 110-91 Spartans win. In the 40-year history of the program, the point total is the highest for a Spartans women's basketball game.
Game #1
San Jose State Spartans (0-0)
vs.
Southern Oregon Raiders (2-0)
Friday, November 13, 7:00 p.m.
The Event Center, San Jose, Calif.
Live 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 and the majority of Mountain West 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 Spartans women's basketball on all our social media platforms. The team's Twitter handle is @sjswbb, Facebook page is /SanJoseStateWBB, Instagram is @sjsu_wbb.
RADIO COVERAGE
Fans across the nation and internationally can listen to every Spartans' women's home game and select road games via Stretch Internet Radio. Jess Knaster and Ta'Rea Cunnigan, the leading scorer in San José State basketball history, bring you all the action. You can access the broadcast through the women's basketball schedule page at www.sjsuspartans.com.
TOUGH PRESEASON SLATE
If the preseason schedule gets you ready for the conference slate, then San José State will be prepared when Mountain West action starts. Of the Spartans 11 preseason opponents, nine participated in the postseason in 2014-15. One was in the NCAA Tournament (New Mexico State), seven played in the WNIT (Saint Mary's, CSU Bakersfield, Washington State, San Francisco, South Dakota, Pacific, and Hawai'i) and Southern Oregon competed in the NAIA Division II National Tournament.
RAMOS NAMED PRESEASON MOUNTAIN WEST NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Dezz Ramos (Jr., PG, West Valley, Utah), who averaged 10.4 points, 3.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in two seasons at Weber State and sat out 2014-15 due to NCAA transfer rules, earned MW Preseason Newcomer of the Year honors, by a vote of the conference coaches and media representatives last month. Ramos is the first Spartan to earn the honor in the now three years the team has competed in the conference.
1,000 POINT/1,000 REBOUND CAREER IN SIGHT FOR BYRD
Riana Byrd (Sr., C, Richmond, Calif.) is a good season away from becoming just the second player in San José State women's basketball history to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in a career. Averaging both 9.0 points and rebounds per game over her three years at SJSU, Byrd begins her final campaign with 818 points and 819 rebounds. At her current pace she could reach both milestones against UNLV on February 10, 2016.
SEASON OPENERS A 50-50 PROPOSITION
San José State has played 40 season openers and has split them right down the center - 20 wins and 20 losses. Only three of seven head coaches, Sharon Chatman (in 1976-77), Tina Krah (in 1986-87), and Jamie Craighead (in 2013-14) have begun their Spartans career with a win in their first game. Chatman had seven season-opening victories in her 10 years at the helm of the San José State program (1977-86), the most in Spartans history. The late Janice Richard won six of her seven season openers as the Spartans head coach (1999-2006).
WHERE'S THE ADVANTAGE IN HOME OPENERS
The Spartans have played 40 home openers in the history of the program. But despite what should be a home court advantage, San José State is 19-21 in its first game of the year on its own court. Recent history has been a bit kinder to the team. SJSU has won each of its last three home openers.
HISTORIC HOME OPENER IN 2014-15
SJSU's 119-76 home-opening victory over Columbia last year was historic for the program and Mountain West.
With its 119 points, the Spartans established a new single-game scoring record for a Mountain West team. They erased the 12-year old record of 110 points, which was held by Colorado State.
The Spartans also set school records with 42 free throws made and 53 free throw attempts. The teams combined for 69 made free throws, which is a Mountain West record. San Jose State's 89 field goal attempts and 53 free throw attempts are No. 2 in Mountain West history. Finally, the combined 195 points, the Spartans' 119 points and the free throws made and attempted totals are Event Center records and the field goals (35) and field goal attempts tied Event Center records....Whew!
SINGLE-SEASON MARKS FELL IN 2014-15
The 2014-15 San José State women's basketball team set the program's single-season scoring record for the second straight year. The Spartans scored 2,511 points last year, smashing the previous record of 2,308, which was set in 2013-14.
SJSU also set new team records for assists (501), three-pointers (271) and three-point attempts (872), as well as field goal attempts (2,262).
CAREER LIST WATCH FOR BYRD
Senior Riana Byrd (Sr., C, Richmond, Calif.) begins 2015-16, 182 points from becoming the 14th member of the program's 1,000-point club and needs 181 rebounds to be the second in the 1,000-rebound club. If she achieves both milestones, she will join Elinor Banks (1978-81) as the only Spartan to achieve both. In addition, Byrd holds the career record for blocked shots (163).
SCOUTING SOUTHERN OREGON
The Raiders finished 2014-15 with an overall record of 27-5, 15-3 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. This year they are off to a 2-0 start and return 11 of 14 players from 2014-15.
Southern Oregon defeated Simpson University (104-82) and UC Merced (76-73) to open the season before falling to Boise State in an exhibition game (102-50). They have three players in double figures led by Ashley Claussen (23.0 ppg) and Courtney Setzer (21.5 ppg and 10.5 rebs.).
Alex Carlson is in his first season leading the Raiders program. Southern Oregon is his first head coaching assignment.
THE SERIES WITH SOUTHERN OREGON
The Spartans and Raiders have met just once, last year on Walt McPherson Court. San José State won 110-91 in what is the highest scoring women's game, in The Event Center, in San José State history.