Jan. 25, 2016
San Jose, Calif. - After starting Mountain West play with a 4-1 record, its best conference start since joining the league in 2013, the San Jose State women's basketball team finds itself at 4-4 and looking to halt a three-game skid. To accomplish the mission, the Spartans will have to do it against the Mountain West's top team, the Colorado State Rams.
San José State Spartans (6-13, 4-4 MW)
vs.
Colorado State Rams (16-1, 6-0 MW)
January 27, 2016 - 7:00 p.m.
San Jose, Calif. (The Event Center)
Live stats and streaming video available at www.sjsuspartans.com
COLORADO STATE A TOUGH OPPONENT TO STOP A SLIDE
San José State, which was 4-1 two weeks ago, have come up short in its last three games and finds itself in the unenviable spot of trying to reverse its fortunes against the top team in the Mountain West. The Colorado State Rams are 16-1, overall, 6-0 in league play and are riding a 13-game win streak. On January 9, they defeated the Spartans 76-54 in Fort Collins. In a bright spot, the Spartans have taken two of the last three played against the Rams in The Event Center.
BYRD HAS 1,000-CAREER POINTS IN HER SIGHTS
Riana Byrd (Sr., C, Richmond, Calif.) has scored 978 career-points entering the Spartans game against Colorado State. At her career average of 9.0 point per game she should crack the 1,000-point plateau in the game at Air Force (1/30). When she scores her 1,000th point she will be the 14th player in Spartans history to reach the milestone.
BYRD TWO BOARDS FROM 2ND ON SPARTANS CAREER LIST
Riana Byrd (Sr., C, Richmond, Calif.) has grabbed 944 rebounds in her San José State career. Entering the team's game against Colorado State, she sits two boards from equaling Rhoda Chew (946 from 1982-85) for second place on the program's career list. Byrd is the third player in program history to pass the 900 career-rebound plateau. The other two players to reach at least 900 rebounds, Chew and Elinor Banks (1,062 rebounds - 1978-81), both surpassed the 1,000-career points list.
SPARTANS OFF TO GOOD START TO MW PLAY SLIDING AWAY
Eight games into the 18 game MW schedule, San José State might be letting its best start in Mountain West Conference play slip away. The Spartans were 4-1 through its first five games of league action, but have dropped its last three in a row. The team was in a tie for first place two weeks ago and now finds itself in a tie for fifth place. On the bright side, the Spartans go their fourth win in conference play in five games. It took SJSU 10 games in 2014-15 to reach four wins and 12 games in its inaugural season of 2013-14 to get its fourth win.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Nyre Harris (Sr., G, Stockton, Calif.) is a team captain and is leading by example. Harris tops the team with 46 steals (2.4/g). In addition, she second in minutes (28.9/g), defensive rebounds (66) and assists (51), third in total rebounds (5.5/g) and offensive rebounds (39). Harris has started every game and is third leading scorer on the team at 9.4 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.
A 5-8 shooting guard, she is second in the conference in steals, is the 12th leading offensive rebounder and overall the 17th-leading rebounder.
LADD SHINES IN NEW ROLE...STARTER
MyMy Ladd (So., G, Seattle, Wash.) continues to show the skills which got her named Ms. Basketball in the state of Washington in 2014. A career 5.0 ppg scorer, in the last 12 games Ladd has tallied seven double figure scoring games and has averaged 10.0 ppg over the stretch while grabbing 4.0 rebounds. Since being inserted in the starting lineup, 11 games ago she has shot 55% from the floor, 50% from three-point range and 62% from the line.