San José, Calif. – For the second time in three days, San José State trailed an undefeated team at halftime on Saturday afternoon.
And for the second time in three days, a dominant third quarter paved the way to yet another victory for the Spartans.
Led by a career-high 33 points for sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo, SJSU (5-2) outscored visiting San Diego by 11 points in the third quarter en route to its 88-82 victory. The win comes on the heels of a 95-88 victory against previously-undefeated Buffalo on Thursday, a game in which it outscored the Bulls 30-13 in the third stanza.
"It was definitely a tale of two halves" said head coach Jamie Craighead after the win. "I told our kids we just have to adjust to how the game is being played and how it's being called. We played a really good basketball team but got it figured out in that second half."
Assisting Basallo in that second half charge was forward Tyra Whitehead, finishing the afternoon with 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Right behind the pair of Division I transfers were guards Raziya Potter, Fieme'a Hafoka and Danae Marquez, each of whom finished in double figures with 10 points.
This marks the second straight contest with five scorers in double figures for Craighead's team.
Offense was the name of the game for both teams early on as the Toreros (3-1) took a 31-24 lead into the start of the second quarter. That lead would be extended to as many as 12 before the home team scored seven points in the half's final 50 seconds to carry some much-needed momentum into the locker room.
San José State would emerge from that locker room on fire, using a 12-2 binge to open up a 59-58 advantage midway through the third quarter.
The next seven minutes featured six ties and a pair of lead changes before the Spartans grabbed control of the lead for good on a Megan Anderson three-pointer with seven minutes remaining. The Anderson triple - one of two on the night for the junior - sparked a 10-2 run that helped put the game to bed.
Naturally, it was Basallo who put the game on ice in the final minute. The point guard topped her career-high in points with a driving layup, then added to her ledger with a pair of free throws to push her team's lead to seven points with 24 seconds to play.
Ayzhiana Basallo has a career-high 31 points and we lead 84-79 with 42 seconds remaining! pic.twitter.com/S6Bgqb1B9P
— San José State Women's Basketball (@SanJoseStateWBB) November 24, 2019
The final score was 88-82, improving SJSU's record to 4-0 on the season at legendary Provident Credit Union Event Center.
"That was a great group effort," Craighead said. "Obviously it helps when Ayzhiana can score like she did though. It's tough to stay in front of her and the whole team found a way to get the job done."
This marks San José State's fourth consecutive victory as the team continues to build on its longest winning streak since winning five straight in the 2015-16 season. Its 5-2 record is the program's best start through seven games in 15 years (also started 5-2 in 2004-05 season).
The Spartans will put that streak on the line when they return to action on Friday afternoon at CSU Bakersfield. Tip-off for that one is set for 2:00 p.m. at the Icardo Center.