San José, Calif. - After an ultra-competitive start to its season at UC Irvine, San José State returns to the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Friday at 7:00 p.m. for its home opener against Eastern Washington.
The Spartans were led by a pair of transfers in the form of Tyra Whitehead (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Ayzhiana Basallo (20 points) in their two-point loss against the Big West preseason favorites on Tuesday. They will be making their home debut against the Eagles alongside four returning starters from last year's team.
The meeting between SJSU and Eastern Washington will be just the second all-time between the two programs. San José State emerged victorious in the previous matchup, earning a 63-53 victory in 1979.
This year's Eagles team enters the weekend with a record of 0-1 after suffering a 92-27 defeat at No. 3 Stanford on opening night. Freshman Kennedy Dickie impressed in her first game in an EWU uniform, leading her team with seven points. Dickie's five rebounds also topped the team.
The Spartans will be looking to improve to 24-22 all-time in home openers.
Friday's contest will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with Daniel Barrera 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
EXAMINING EASTERN WASHINGTON
Friday's meeting will also serve as the second game of the season for Eastern Washington. Coming off a 13-20 season a year ago, the Eagles tipped off the 2019-20 campaign with a 92-27 loss at No. 3 Stanford on Tuesday night. The team finished in a tie for sixth in the Big Sky last season and was ninth in scoring with a clip of 63.1 points per game.
Freshman Kennedy Dickie impressed in her first game in an EWU uniform, leading her team with seven points in Stanford. Dickie's five rebounds also topped the team. Eastern Washington lost its top scorer from the 2018-19 season but does return sophomore Grace Kirscher (10.4 points per game).
Head coach Wendy Schuller is now in her 19th season leading the Eagles program. Schuller arrived in Cheney from Northwestern State, where she served as an associate head coach in her final four years with the Lady Demons. She has now guided EWU to the Big Sky Tournament in nine straight seasons.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD
> Keep SJSU above .500 (23-22) in home openers
> Move head coach Jamie Craighead to 5-2 in home openers at SJSU
> Be better than a loss
SJSU VS. THE BIG SKY
Overall, San José State is 40-50 against the current make up of schools in the Big Sky. The last time the Spartans beat a Big Sky opponent was in the 2014-15 season, defeating Sacramento State in a 102-94 shootout in head coach Jamie Craighead's second season. Rachol West led the team with a 19-point outburst off the bench in that victory.
San José State will face two more Big Sky opponents this year, meeting Sacramento State in the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Nov. 17 and Northern Arizona in Lahaina on Dec. 18.
A TOSS-UP IN HOME TIP-OFFS
San José State has played 45 home openers, posting a record of 23-22. Head coach Jamie Craighead is 4-2 while with the Spartans in home openers, a mark that included a 3-0 start to her career.
T-SHIRTS
Be sure to arrive early for Friday night's game as the first 100 fans will receive a free Spartan t-shirt.
NOT BAD FOR STARTERS
San José State transfers Tyra Whitehead and Ayzhiana Basallo each impressed and then some in the team's season opener at UC Irvine. Whitehead tallied a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds while Basallo was right behind her counterpart with 20 points.
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 entered 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, entered the year at the top of the program's list for three-point field goal percentage with a .408 clip. Her .438 clip as a freshman in the 2017-18 season was a single-season record for the program.
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 before the start of the season. "This is going to be one of the most exciting women's basketball seasons we've ever had at San José State."
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.