Feb. 10, 2016
San Jose, Calif. - The San José State women's basketball team entered its game against the UNLV Lady Rebels in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Mountain West Conference and emerged in solo possession of fourth after dispatching the Lady Rebels 69-61 on Wednesday night.
UNLV owned the first quarter, but over the course of 40 minutes the Spartans used their up tempo game to wear down UNLV. SJSU rebounded in the second period, maintained the their good play in the third and by the fourth quarter, the Lady Rebels shots were coming up short as San José State (9-14, 7-5 MW) walked away with its third straight win.
Myzhanique Ladd's layup with 5:09 to play in the first period gave the Spartans a 10-5 lead, but the Lady Rebels finished the quarter on a 16-2 run. Brooke Johnson scored five of her team-high 20 points in the run and Dakota Gonzalez added seven. UNLV out shot the Spartans 44 percent (8-of-18) to the Spartans 25 percent (4-of-16).
In the second quarter, the Spartans reversed the score against UNLV. Jasmine Smith was a perfect 5-for-5 in the period and scored 11 points as SJSU hit 8-of-19 from the floor (44 percent) and held UNLV to 4-of-18 shooting (22 percent).
An Ellie Stevens three pointer with 3:17 to go before the half cut the UNLV to one point, 27-26 and when Ladd beat the Lady Rebels defense down the court for a fast break layup with 1:16 to play, SJSU was back in the lead 31-30. A Johnson three put UNLV back in front but Smith's layup with 45 second to go tied it at 33-33, and that was the score at the half.
UNLV (13-10, 6-6 MW) built a 44-36 advantage with 4:21 left in the third, but Paris Baird keyed a 10-1 run over the next two minutes. She hit a jumper and then back-to-back threes sandwiched around a Dezz Ramos jumper to give SJSU a 46-45 lead.
Ramos scored on a layup with 1:12 to go in the period, was fouled on the play and made the ensuing free throw to send the Spartans into the final period with a 51-50 lead…they would never trail again.
SJSU shot just 29 percent (5-of-17) in the fourth quarter, but held UNLV to 3-of-21 (14 percent). Emily Vann hit a crucial three pointer with 5:16 to play, which gave the Spartans a 58-52 lead. Ramos added another three with 3:15 to play for an eight point Spartans advantage, 63-55.
From that point on Nyre Harris took over. She hit six of eight free throws down the stretch to secure the Spartans win.
Harris finished with 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Ramos had a team-high 20 points and a season-high eight assists. She grabbed five rebounds and had three steals.
Riana Byrd was held scoreless on three shots, but was devastating on the boards. She ripped down a season-high 17 rebounds, including 12 on the defensive end. Byrd is just five rebounds from joining Elinor Banks as the only Spartan women's basketball players to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in their careers.
Baird scored eight points, Ladd chipped in seven and Vann added six for the Spartans.
SJSU hosts New Mexico on Saturday afternoon in its annual Play4Kay "Pink Game." Tip is set for 2:00 p.m.
UNLV vs San Jose State
02/10/16 7:00 p.m. at San Jose, Calif. (THe Event Center)
At San Jose, Calif. (THe Event Center)
SAN JOSE STATE 69, UNLV 61
UNLV (13-10,6-6 MW)
JOHNSON, Brooke 6-19 5-6 20; GONZALEZ, Dakota 6-20 2-2 16; WHEATLEY, Nikki
4-12 0-0 9; CALLAWAY, Amie 4-8 0-0 8; BELL, Jordyn 1-2 4-6 6; ROHDE, Aley
1-4 0-2 2; SHEPPARD, Simone 0-1 0-0 0; STRAWTHER, Paris 0-4 0-0 0; GONZALEZ,
Dylan 0-6 0-0 0. Totals 22-76 11-16 61.
SAN JOSE STATE (9-14, 7-5 MW)
Ramos, Dezz 7-20 5-5 20; Smith, Jasmine 5-7 1-3 11; Harris, Nyre 2-11 6-8
11; Baird, Paris 3-5 0-0 8; Ladd, Myzhanique 3-10 1-2 7; Vann, Emily 2-7 0-0
6; Kohlhaas, Andrea 1-3 0-0 3; Stevens, Ellie 1-4 0-0 3; Byrd, Riana 0-3 0-0
- Totals 24-70 13-18 69.
UNLV.......................... 21 12 17 11 - 61
San Jose State................ 12 21 18 18 - 69
3-point goals--UNLV 6-27 (JOHNSON, Brooke 3-11; GONZALEZ, Dakota 2-8;
WHEATLEY, Nikki 1-2; SHEPPARD, Simone 0-1; GONZALEZ, Dylan 0-4; CALLAWAY,
Amie 0-1), San Jose State 8-35 (Vann, Emily 2-7; Baird, Paris 2-3; HARRIS,
Nyre 1-5; Stevens, Ellie 1-3; Ramos, Dezz 1-10; Kohlhaas, Andrea 1-3; LADD,
Myzhanique 0-4). Fouled out--UNLV-None, San Jose State-None. Rebounds--UNLV
56 (CALLAWAY, Amie 9), San Jose State 49 (Byrd, Riana 17). Assists--UNLV 9
(JOHNSON, Brooke 4), San Jose State 19 (Ramos, Dezz 8). Total fouls--UNLV
18, San Jose State 17. Technical fouls--UNLV-None, San Jose State-None.
A-382