Dec. 9, 2016
Lincoln, Neb. â€" The San Jose State women's basketball team battled all night and trailed the University of Nebraska by eight points after three quarters, but a double-digit run to open the fourth proved to be the difference in an 83-61 loss for the Spartans.
With the score 63-55 at the end of the third, the Cornhuskers ran off 13-straight points in a 16-2 spurt over the first six minutes of the final period to make what was a close game appear to not be when the final buzzer rang.
"We battled for three quarters," head coach Jamie Craighead said after the game, "but ultimately couldn't stop their interior game in the fourth and went cold from the floor at the same time."
Jessica Shepard, a 6-4 forward and Nebraska's leading scorer, tallied nine of her game-high 28 points, in the decisive 10 minutes and also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Dezz Ramos, who scored 16 of the team's 18 points in the second quarter, finished with 24 and had six assist and three rebounds. Myzhanique Ladd pulled down a team-high 11 boards, had four points and three assists. Jasmine Smith chipped in eight points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven steals. Rachol West had nine points, Paris Baird seven, Fieme'a Hafoka a season-high four and Taylor Turney scored two.
The teams were tied 16-16 at the end of the first. Half of Nebraska's points were scored in the paint and by the end of the game would use its height advantage rack up 50 of its 83 points inside. The Spartans big weapon, in the first 10 minutes, was four 3-pointers and five steals which they converted into four buckets.
The second quarter was all Ramos. She shot 6-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-5 from distance and made both of her free throw attempts. The only other basket for SJSU (2-8) was a jumper from Ladd with 9:06 to play before the half, which tied the game 20-20. The teams went into halftime with Nebraska (4-6) up 37-34.
In the third quarter, the Spartans continued to keep it close, but the Cornhuskers' inside game was starting to exert itself. Nebraska scored 24 of its 26 third-quarter points in the paint and shot 62 percent from the field to the Spartans 37 percent. SJSU kept it close by forcing six turnovers and converting them into nine points.
For the night, SJSU forced a season-high 26 turnovers while committing just 13 on its end. The team was outrebounded by the taller Cornhuskers, but held them to 18 boards on the offensive glass.
Thirty-four of Nebraska's 50 points in the paint came in the second half, when their size began to wear the Spartans down.
"I was happy that we forced 26 turnovers and allowed only 18 offensive rebounds," Craighead added. "They made timely shots on that run to open the fourth and that was the ball game."
SJSU's final non-conference road game is Sunday at South Dakota. The Spartans and Coyotes take the floor in an 11:00 a.m. (CT) tipoff.
San Jose State vs Nebraska
12/09/16 7:06 p.m at Lincoln, Neb. (Pinnacle Bank Arena)
At Lincoln, Neb. (Pinnacle Bank Arena)
NEBRASKA 83, SAN JOSE STATE 61
SAN JOSE STATE (2-8)
Ramos, Dezz 8-24 6-6 24; West, Rachol 3-7 0-2 9; Smith, Jasmine 4-10 0-2 8;
Baird, Paris 2-6 2-2 7; Ladd, Myzhanique 2-7 0-0 4; HAFOKA, Fieme'a 2-4 0-0
4; Kohlhaas, Andrea 1-3 0-0 3; Turney, Taylor 0-1 2-2 2; Harris, Alexis 0-1
0-0 0; Gennett, Hallie 0-5 0-0 0; Benally, Analyss 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 22-71
10-14 61.
NEBRASKA (4-6)
Jessica Shepard 12-21 4-6 28; Nicea Eliely 6-9 0-0 13; Allie Havers 4-9 0-0
8; Darrien Washington 3-3 1-4 7; Emily Wood 2-2 2-3 7; Rylie Cascio Jensen
2-4 0-2 6; Esther Ramacieri 2-5 0-0 5; Jasmine Cincore 2-7 0-0 4; Hannah
Whitish 1-2 0-0 3; Maddie Simon 1-2 0-0 2; Grace Mitchell 0-1 0-0 0. Totals
35-65 7-15 83.
San Jose State................ 16 18 21 6 - 61
Nebraska...................... 16 21 26 20 - 83
3-point goals--San Jose State 7-30 (West, Rachol 3-6; Ramos, Dezz 2-10;
Kohlhaas, Andrea 1-3; Baird, Paris 1-3; Gennett, Hallie 0-3; BENALLY,
Analyss 0-3; Ladd, Myzhanique 0-2), Nebraska 6-17 (Rylie Cascio Jensen 2-3;
Hannah Whitish 1-2; Esther Ramacieri 1-3; Nicea Eliely 1-2; Emily Wood 1-1;
Jasmine Cincore 0-2; Allie Havers 0-1; Jessica Shepard 0-3). Fouled out--San
Jose State-None, Nebraska-None. Rebounds--San Jose State 31 (LADD,
Myzhanique 11), Nebraska 55 (Jessica Shepard 14). Assists--San Jose State 12
(Ramos, Dezz 6), Nebraska 20 (Jasmine Cincore 6). Total fouls--San Jose
State 20, Nebraska 20. Technical fouls--San Jose State-None, Nebraska-None.
A-4205