San Jose, Calif. – The San José State women's basketball team was down 10-2 three minutes into the game, but then went on a 20-0 run over 12 minutes and never looked back in a 65-57 victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs on Thursday night in The Event Center.
Two Fresno natives, Megan Anderson and Danae Marquez, paced the Spartans (6-23, 5-13 MW). The pair combined for 31 points, nine rebounds, six steals, five assists, one block and made 10 three-pointers between them.
Marquez equaled her career-high with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and her single-game best with eight rebounds. Anderson knocked down six threes, matching her career-best, which she set at New Mexico on February 27.
Raziya Potter had eight points. Analyss Benally added six and Fieme'a Hafoka scored six, had five rebounds and six assists.
Senior Andrea Kohlhaas, who was honored in a ceremony before the game, went 2-of-5 from the floor, scored four points and grabbed one rebound.
For the game, the Spartans had 18 assists on 23 made baskets and shot 39 percent for the game. They were 11-of-25 from beyond the arc (44 percent) and made 8-of-14 from the line.
The Bulldogs (18-11, 11-7 MW) were 24-of-73 from the floor (32 percent), made just 7-of-34 three-point attempts (20 percent) and went to the free throw line four times, making two.
Fresno State led by eight, 10-2, at the 7:13 mark of the first period, but then the Spartans defense clamped down. The Bulldogs missed their final 11shots of the period, and watched the Spartans scored 13 straight to take a 15-10 lead into the second quarter.
In the second, the poor shooting for the Bulldogs continued. They missed the first six shot attempts and after a 12:02 span finally scored. At the 4:57 mark the Spartans had their biggest lead of the game 25-13. Fresno State then went on a 10-0 run and got the game to 29-27 at the half.
The Spartans maintained a single-digit lead throughout the third period and into the fourth. SJSU saw its lead cut to two, 54-52, with 3:08 to play, but closed the game out with an 11-5 run to win 65-57.
Fresno State's Candice White, the Mountain West's leading scorer at 18.7 point per game, was rendered ineffective by the stifling Spartans defense. She was held to six points on 3-of-14 shooting, including 0-for-7 from beyond the arc, and didn't get into the scoring column until late in the second half. The Bulldogs had three players in double figures led by Maddi Utti's 12 points and 11 rebounds.
San José State has earned the ninth seed in next week's Air Force Reserve Mountain West Basketball Championship and will play Nevada, the eighth seed, at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.
