Jan. 1, 2016
San Jose, Calif. - The San José State women's basketball team, coming off an 86-74 win at Utah State to open Mountain West Conference play, hosts the Air Force Falcons on Saturday afternoon. With a win the Spartans will start MW action 2-0 for the first time.
Game # 13
San José State Spartans (3-9, 1-0 MW)
at
Air Force Falcons (0-11, 0-0 MW)
Saturday, January 2, 2:00 p.m.
The Event Center, San Jose, Calif.
Streaming video and 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.
CONFERENCE OPENING WIN
With its 86-74 win at Utah State (12/30), the Spartans have emerged from their three Mountain West openers with two wins...both wins have come at the expense of the Aggies. SJSU defeated Utah State last year's conference opener 62-58 in The Event Center. Since the 1989-90 season the Spartans are 11-14 in conference openers (Big West, WAC and Mountain West).
TOUGH PRESEASON SLATE PAYS OFF
The old adage goes that a tough preseason schedule gets you ready for the conference slate. If that is true then San José State is prepared now that Mountain West action has started. Of the Spartans 11 non-conference opponents, nine participated in the postseason in 2014-15. And SJSU went on the road on Wednesday and defeated Utah State 86-74 in the first game of the conference season.
IT'S LADD TIME
MyMy Ladd (So., G, Seattle, Wash.) has emerged as a dangerous option for the Spartans on the offensive end of the court. A career 5.0 ppg scorer, in the last five games Ladd has tallied four double figure scoring games and averaged 11.0 ppg over the stretch while grabbing 4.0 rebounds. In the last five games she has shot .654 from the floor, .720 from three-point range and .750 from the line.
RAMOS ... TIP OF THE SPEAR
Dezz Ramos (Jr., PG, West Valley, Utah) is showing why the voters for MW Newcomer of the Year got their selection correct. She leads the team and the Mountain West in scoring at 20.5 point per game. In 11 games Ramos has reached double figures 11 times, and in six games has scored at least 20 points. Versus South Dakota (12/8) she erupted for 31 points. It was her Spartan high and the second best single-game scoring effort in her collegiate career.
FROM BEYOND THE ARC THERE ARE ONLY GREEN LIGHTS
In 12 games the Spartans have hoisted 325 threes, has drained 104 and are making an average of 8.7 treys made a game. All three numbers lead the Mountain West. Nationally, the team ranks 16th (3-PTA), 17th (3-PT/g) and 19th (3-PTM).
Individually, Dezz Ramos (Jr., PG, West Valley, Utah) leads the MW in three-pointers made (32) and three-pointers per game (2.9). Her three-point shooting percentage (.464) is the second highest in the conference. Nationally, she ranks 56th, 23rd and 22nd in those three categories, respectively.
HARRIS...SENIOR LEADING
Nyre Harris (Sr., G, Stockton, Calif.) is a team captain and is leading by example. Harris tops the team with 2.7 steals per game and 41 defensive rebounds. In addition, she second in minutes (28.1/g) and assists (28), third in total rebounds (5.4/g) and offensive rebounds (24). Harris has started every game and is fourth on the team at 10.0 point per game. In the opener, against Southern Oregon (11/13), Harris picked up the first double double of her college career scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. At Pacific (12/12) she did it again with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Harris, a 5-8 shooting guard, is second in the conference in steals the 20th leading rebounder in the Mountain West.
BYRD WATCHING
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 currently has with 903 points and 887 rebounds. At her current pace she could reach both milestones and join the 1,000/1,000 club later this season.
OFFENSE ANYONE?
Through 11 games, San José State is averaging 78.6 points a game which leads the Mountain West and is 6.3 points per outing better than the second ranked team, Utah State. SJSU's scoring rate is the 28th highest in the nation.
- SMITH GOES TO THE HOOP AND BOARDS
Jasmine Smith (Jr., F, Burbank, Calif.) is averaging 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds this year, which is second and first on the team, respectively. She is shooting a team-best .541, which ranks 75th in the nation and fifth the Mountain West.
Her scoring average is the 16th best in the MW and she is the 10th rebounds and is sixth in offensive boards (2.9/g).
SCOUTING AIR FORCE
The Falcons come into the game with an 0-11 record. They are averaging just 43.8 points per game and have been outscored by an average of 27.4 points per game. Eight of the team's 11 games this year have been played away from home, and most recently fell at Navy 64-46 (12/21/15).
Cortney Porter leads the Air Force offense with a 10.9 points per game average and is the only player averaging double figure scoring this year. In addition, Porter tops the team in assists (3.0/g) and steals (2.2/g). Dee Bennett leads the team with 4.0 rebounds per outing.
Chris Gobrecht is in her first season leading the Falcons program. She brought a 542-473 35-year career record as a Division I head coach into the 2015-16 season.
THE SERIES WITH AIR FORCE
This will be the ninth meeting between the Spartans and Falcons. San José State leads in the all-time series 6-2. In the four meetings in San Jose, SJSU is 4-0 and has averaged 80.8 points while holding Air Force to 60.0.