San José, Calif. - San José State's long-awaited start to the 2019-20 women's basketball season ends Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. as the Spartans pay a visit to UC Irvine.
Head coach Jamie Craighead's bunch returns four starters from last year's team while adding a pair of high-profile transfers in the form of Tyra Whitehead (Wake Forest) and Ayzhiana Basallo (Cal Poly). The Anteaters finished last season with a 20-11 record and return eight letterwinners from that 20-win club.
The two teams met last year in The Event Center, where UC Irvine was able to come away with a tight 74-66 victory.
The Anteaters figure to be led by junior Jordan Sanders, back after a sensational sophomore season in which the forward averaged 20.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Sanders ended the 2018-19 campaign leading her team in both of those categories.
SJSU is fresh off an exhibition victory on Tuesday, downing visiting Fresno Pacific in its regular season tune-up. Whitehead led the Spartans, tallying a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the winning effort.
The team returns starters Raziya Potter, Fieme'a Hafoka, Danae Marquez and Megan Anderson from its 2018-19 team.
Tuesday's contest will be streamed on BigWest.TV with Brandon Marcus 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
UNDERSTANDING UC IRVINE
Tuesday's meeting will also serve as UC Irvine's season opener. The Anteaters posted a 20-11 record last year, going 8-8 in Big West play before advancing to the semifinals of their conference tournament. They averaged 66.8 points per game on the 2018-19 campaign and were right there on the defensive end of the floor as well with a 65.4 points allowed average.
Junior Jordan Sanders is back to lead UCI after a sensational sophomore season. Sanders tallied 20.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game a year ago to lead her team in both categories. Senior Lauren Saiki is also back after averaging 11.9 points and 4.3 assists per game. Saiki figures to anchor the team's backcourt while Sanders controls things in the post.
Head coach Tamara Inoue is now in her fourth season leading the UC Irvine program. Inouye arrived in Southern California from New Mexico State, where she served as an associate head coach in her final two seasons with the Aggies.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD
> Improve San José State to 22-23 in season openers
> Move the Spartans to 13-17 all-time against UC Irvine
> Be better than a loss
SJSU VS. THE BIG WEST
Overall, San José State is 43-157 against the current make up of schools in the Big West. The last time the Spartans beat a Big West opponent was in the 2016-17 season, defeating Hawaii 77-61 in Honolulu. The program will return to the Islands next month for the first time since that victory, playing two games in Lahaina at the Maui Jim Maui Classic. SJSU is a former member of the Big West, playing in the conference from 1986-1996. Current Spartan sophomoreAyzhiana Basallo was named the Big West Sixth Player of the Year while playing at Cal Poly as a freshman.
A TOSS-UP TO TIP THINGS OFF
San José State has played 44 season openers and have a record of 21-23. Only three of seven head coaches, Sharon Chatman (in 1976-77), Tina Krah (in 1986-87), and Jamie Craighead (in 2013-14) have begun their Spartans career with a win in their first game. Chatman had seven season-opening victories in her 10 years at the helm of the San José State program (1977-86), the most in Spartans history. The late Janice Richard won six of her seven season openers as the Spartans head coach (1999-2006).
Craighead has won two season openers while leading the Spartans. In available records, SJSU is 8-9 when opening the season on the road.
EXCITEMENT ABOUND
"We have four of five starters back from last season and we've continued to add to the mix," said head coach Jamie Craighead when asked about her team earlier this month. "This is going to be one of the most exciting women's basketball seasons we've ever had at San José State."
THREE'S COMPANY
The 2019-20 roster features a pair of Spartans that are all over the program's record books throughout the three-point categories. Senior Analyss Benally enters the season ranked No. 9 for made three-pointers with 118 throughout her three seasons in a Spartan uniform. Guard Megan Anderson, now a junior at San José State, is at the top of the program's list for three-point field goal percentage at a .402 clip. Her .438 clip as a freshman in the 2017-18 season was a single-season record for the program.
SPARTANS START SEASON WITH EXHIBITION WIN OVER FRESNO PACIFIC
Heading into Tuesday night's exhibition contest against Fresno Pacific, head coach Jamie Craighead was looking for a solid performance to build momentum heading into the start of the regular season. It took a little bit, but she got it.
Behind a 25-point, 10-rebound outburst from Wake Forest transfer Tyra Whitehead, San José State emerged with a 102-97 victory over the visiting Sunbirds. The game marked the team's final contest before tipping off regular-season action at UC Irvine.
The Spartans' quick tempo and shot-making ability would eventually wear down the visitors from Fresno. They outscored their opponent 22-14 in the fourth quarter and went on a 16-5 burst to end regulation.
In all, four Spartans finished the night scoring in double figures asFieme'a Hafokatallied 20 points and point guard Danae Marquez came off the bench to add 17. SJSU dominated down low on Tuesday, scoring 62 points in the paint to Fresno Pacific's 28.
INCOMING
The Spartans have a pair of Division I transfers that will be eligible to play this season. Forward Tyra Whitehead arrives in Silicon Valley from Wake Forest and will have two years of eligibility to play while at SJSU. She is joined by guard Ayzhiana Basallo, arriving from Cal Poly after winning the Big West Sixth Player of the Year award as a freshman. Basallo has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
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.