SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – San José State proved that how you finish is more important than how you start in Friday night's game at UC Santa Barbara.
Overcoming an early 9-0 deficit, the Spartans rallied to earn their first road victory of the season in the form of a 73-70 win.
"We're right there now," said sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo after the victory. "We have been close to breaking through and we got it done tonight. Everyone is connecting and those that doubted us are starting to see what we're about."
Basallo followed her career-high game in her last outing with another fine performance, leading the team with 26 points. The team forced 27 turnovers and had two other players - Tyra Whitehead (16) and Fieme'a Hafoka (13) - finish the night scoring in double figures.
Slowly but surely, SJSU was able to dig its way out of the early deficit.
A quick 9-2 run that was capped by a Whitehead jumper pulled the team within 11-9, and it was a pair of made free throws from the Wake Forest transfer that trimmed the lead down to 16-13 at the end of the first quarter. The Gauchos would extend their lead to as many as 11 points in the second stanza, but a 12-5 binge to end the quarter gave the visitors from San José some momentum heading into the halftime break.
San José State eventually pulled even at 36-36 on a Megan Anderson free throw, then took its first lead of the evening on a Basallo jumper with five and a half remaining in the third quarter.
Timeouttttt Gauchos.
— San Jose State WBB (@SanJoseStateWBB) November 16, 2019
Basallo pulls and hits and we have our first lead of the night! pic.twitter.com/YVTHCtS5vT
"I can't really do much without my teammates," Basallo said when asked about her 26-point performance. "They put me in the best position possible. But it doesn't matter how many points I have as long as we get the job done."
Basallo and company would get that job done.
After growing their lead to as many as nine points and watching the home team battle all the way back, Hafoka nailed a jumper to put her team on top for good with 45 seconds to play. And on a night filled with great defensive efforts, it was point guard Danae Marquez who sealed the deal with a steal and a blocked three-point attempt on the final two UC Santa Barbara possessions.
The win improved San Jose Staté to 2-2 on the young season, the program's best start since the 2014-15 campaign. It also marked the program's first victory over the Gauchos since February 23, 1989.
Whitehead went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the victorious effort, remaining perfect on the season to stay tied at the top of the nation's free throw percentage list.
The team will look to continue its winning ways as it returns to the Provident Credit Union Event Center for a three-game homestand that begins on Sunday afternoon against Sacramento State.