Dec. 30, 2015
Logan, Utah - Four Spartans scored in double figures led by Dezz Ramos' game-high 24 points as the San José State women's basketball team opened Mountain West play with an 86-74 win over the Utah State Aggies on Wednesday evening.
The victory is the first for the SJSU (3-9, 1-0 MW) on the Aggies home court since the 2005-06 season, a span of 10 games.
In addition to Ramos' scoring output, she had a game-high seven assists. Jasmine Smith scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Nyre Harris had 14 points and MyMy Ladd added 12. It's the fourth time in the last five games Ladd has reached double figures.
Riana Byrd ripped down a game-high 11 rebounds and scored nine points and Rachol West hit three clutch treys in the third quarter to account for her nine points.
Trailing 35-31 at the half, the Spartans came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter. They hit three of their first six shots and when Ramos was fouled from beyond the arc and made all three from the line, the game was tied 41-41 with 5:20 left in the third.
The Spartans hit their next three shots capped off by the first of West's three consecutive threes. It gave SJSU a 48-45 lead with 3:41 to play in the period and they would never trail in the game again.
San Jose State finished the period 12-for-17 from the floor and led by as many as nine points, but a pair of three pointers from Utah State's Rachel Brewster made it just a three-point game, 56-53 heading to the fourth quarter.
In the final 10 minutes, the Spartans made 9-of-14 shots including six buckets in the paint. They hit 11-of-14 from the line, including their last nine in a row, to close out the Aggies (5-7, 0-1 MW) and earn the team's first road win of the year.
SJSU enjoyed its best shooting half of the season hitting 62.1 percent (18-of-29) in the second half while Utah State was limited to 31.7 percent (13-of -41).
With its height advantage, Utah State enjoyed a 50-38 lead on the boards including a 29-to-14 advantage on the offensive glass. Both teams sank eight threes, but the Spartans made eight more free throws than the Aggies 24-to-16.
Funda Nakkasoglu, the leading scorer in the Mountain West coming into the game was held to eight points in the first half and 22 for the game, right at her season average.
San José State's hosts the Air Force Falcons, in its conference home opener on Saturday, January 2 at 2:00 p.m. in The Event Center.
San Jose State vs Utah State
12/30/15 7 p.m. at Logan, Utah (Dee Glen Smith Spectrum)
At Logan, Utah (Dee Glen Smith Spectrum)
SAN JOSE STATE 86, UTAH STATE 74
SAN JOSE STATE (3-9, 1-0 MW)
Ramos, Dezz 7-15 9-9 24; Smith, Jasmine 6-7 3-6 15; Harris, Nyre 5-9 1-2 14;
Ladd, Myzhanique 3-3 5-7 12; West, Rachol 3-7 0-0 9; Byrd, Riana 2-6 5-6 9;
Baird, Paris 1-3 1-1 3; Kohlhaas, Andrea 0-0 0-0 0; Stevens, Ellie 0-5 0-0
0; Vann, Emily 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 27-59 24-31 86.
UTAH STATE (5-7, 0-1 MW)
NAKKASOGLU, Funda 5-16 10-10 22; ANCHLING, Julianne 6-16 0-0 15; BREWSTER,
Rachel 5-11 0-0 12; DJUKIC, Tijana 3-9 2-2 8; PRICE, Victoria 2-7 2-2 6; DE
PAULO, Angelica 1-5 0-0 3; ROBINSON, Antoina 1-3 1-4 3; HUTCHINS, Hannah 1-1
0-0 2; JENSEN, Lindsey 1-5 0-0 2; TOOLE, Katie 0-3 1-2 1; MASON, Deja 0-1
0-0 0. Totals 25-77 16-20 74.
San Jose State................ 17 14 25 30 - 86
Utah State.................... 18 17 18 21 - 74
3-point goals--San Jose State 8-24 (West, Rachol 3-6; Harris, Nyre 3-5;
Ladd, Myzhanique 1-1; Ramos, Dezz 1-5; Stevens, Ellie 0-2; Vann, Emily 0-4;
Baird, Paris 0-1), Utah State 8-30 (ANCHLING, Julianne 3-12; NAKKASOGLU,
Funda 2-8; BREWSTER, Rachel 2-5; DE PAULO, Angelica 1-1; JENSEN, Lindsey
0-4). Fouled out--San Jose State-None, Utah State-BREWSTER, Rachel.
Rebounds--San Jose State 38 (Byrd, Riana 11), Utah State 50 (ROBINSON,
Antoina 8; DJUKIC, Tijana 8). Assists--San Jose State 13 (Ramos, Dezz 7),
Utah State 12 (NAKKASOGLU, Funda 5). Total fouls--San Jose State 20, Utah
State 25. Technical fouls--San Jose State-None, Utah State-None. A-266