San José, Calif. - After notching its fourth consecutive win on Saturday against San Diego, San José State is set to put a lid on the month of November when it plays at CSU Bakersfield on Friday at 2:00 p.m.
The Spartans were led by point guard Ayzhiana Basallo in their 88-82 victory over the Toreros as the sophomore dropped a career-high 33 points in the win. The team now embarks on a two-game road trip, taking on the Roadrunners before tipping off Mountain West play at Utah State on Wednesday.
The meeting between SJSU and CSUB will be the seventh all-time between the two programs. San José State emerged victorious in last year's matchup, earning an 82-72 victory for its first win of the season.
This year's CSU Bakersfield team enters the week with a record of 3-3 after earning a 61-52 victory over North Texas on Tuesday. Sophomore Ashley Austin has impressed for CSUB, leading the team with an average of 11.5 points per game. It's another sophomore, forward Jayden Eggleston, who has got the job done on the boards, pulling down an average of 6.3 rebounds game.
A win for the Spartans would give the program its best record through eight games since the 2003-04 season.
Friday's contest will be televised on ESPN+ with Jason Galvin and Tiffany Belt on the call. Fans can also follow the Spartans on social media all season long by following @SanJoseStateWBB on Twitter or @sjswbb on Instagram.
STORYLINES
CHECKING ON CSU BAKERSFIELD
Friday's meeting will serve as the seventh game of the season for CSU Bakersfield. Coming off a 14-17 season a year ago that featured a trip to the second round of the WAC Tournament, the Roadrunners tipped off the 2019-20 campaign with an 83-74 victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills. They have posted two more victories since, most recently edging North Texas for a 61-52 win. The team finished in a tie for fourth in the WAC last season.
Sophomore Ashley Austin has impressed for CSUB, leading the team with an average of 11.5 points per game. It's another sophomore, forward Jayden Eggleston, who has got the job done on the boards, pulling down an average of 6.3 rebounds game.
Friday's contest marks the second of a six-game homestand for CSU Bakersfield, a stretch that won't come to a close until a Dec. 14 meeting with UC Santa Barbara. San José State has already knocked off the Gauchos this season, taking down UCSB for a 73-70 victory at The Thunderdome.
SJSU VS. THE WAC
Overall, San José State is 11-34 against the current make up of schools in the WAC. The last time the Spartans beat a WAC opponent was against this same CSU Bakersfield program, topping the Roadrunners for an 82-72 victory at the Event Center on Nov. 24, 2018.
A junior at the time, current Spartan Fieme'a Hafoka led her team with 14 points in that win. CSUB will be SJSU's only WAC opponent this season.
AYZHIANA HONORS
Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo has had quite the month of November. The guard made some school history on Monday when she was named the Mountain West Player of the Week for a second straight week, the first-ever time a Spartan has received the honor in consecutive weeks. In addition to the award from the conference office, Basallo was named the league's Player of the Week by College Sports Madness on Nov. 25.
EARLY START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
Friday's game in Bakersfield will mark the team's final tuneup before Mountain West play tips off on Dec. 4 at Utah State. The early-December start date marks the program's earliest start to league play since joining the Mountain West.
ASSIST U
San José State enters the week ranked No. 1 (as in, no one is better) nationally with 135 assists through three weeks of basketball. Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo is slotted first in the country in that category, dishing out a total of 49 assists thus far.
Basallo isn't the only member of the Spartan backcourt that has distributed the ball at a high rate. Guards Danae Marquez (3.6 APG) and Fieme'a Hafoka and Raziya Potter (2.7 APG) are following closely behind their running mate.
THE WIN HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD
Per NatStat.com, an analytics site that tracks every top women's basketball league across multiple continents, San José State's victory over Buffalo was the biggest "upset" in the world on Nov. 21. The Spartans (given a 3% chance of winning by NatStat) beat out China's Sichuan Blue Whales (7%), Brazil's Ulbra/Rio Claro (9%) and Lithuania's Mazeikiai (9%) for the "most surprising" win of the day.
CALL IT A COMEBACK
San José State rallied from as many as 14 points down at one point before emerging for its 95-88 victory over Buffalo on Thursday. The team made huge second half surges in its wins over both the Bulls and San Diego, outscoring its opponents 53-25 in the third quarter alone.
THREE'S COMPANY
San José State finished its victory over Eastern Washington earlier this month shooting 61 percent from three-point range (14-of-23). The mark set a single-game record for three-point percentage in the Jamie Craighead era at SJSU.
20 on 22's 20th
Point guard Danae Marquez celebrated her 20th birthday in fine fashion earlier this month, dropping 20 points to lead all scorers en route to her team's 84-66 victory over Eastern Washington. Not just a scoring threat, Marquez peppered the stat-sheet with three assists and one steal in the win.
IT'S A (GOOD) START
San José State's win over San Diego on Saturday improved the team to 5-2 on the season. The seven-game record marks the program's best start since it opened the 2004-05 campaign with a matching 5-2 mark. The team's last two victories over San Diego and Buffalo marked the first losses for both of those teams this season.
THEY'RE FREE FOR A REASON
Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo ranks second in all of Division I in made free throws. The sophomore's 50 makes on 56 attempts leads the nation, while San José State as a whole is ranked No. 5 nationally (112 total free throws made).
DOUBLE TROUBLE
The team's pair of Division I transfers - Ayzhiana Basallo and Tyra Whitehead - are off to an explosive start to the season. The duo have combined for five double-doubles on the year, with Whitehead's three ranking No. 12 nationally.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEDIA INFORMATION
For any information concerning Mountain West basketball, contact Melissa Katz, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications. Mountain West information is also available online at www.themw.com.