SAN JOSÉ, Calif. – Sometimes, the best birthday presents are the ones you give yourself.
Dropping 20 points on her 20th birthday, point guard Danae Marquez came off the bench to lead San José State to its first win of the 2019-20 season in the form of an 84-66 victory over visiting Eastern Washington.
"Maybe she just felt like giving herself a gift," said head coach Jamie Craighead after the win. "Danae is really benefiting and capitalizing from having other shooters and point guards around her. She's always been one of our better shooters but last season we weren't able to get her as many looks. It's awesome for her and I'm glad we could get her a win."
Marquez was just one of many Spartans (1-1) who turned in a hot shooting performance in Friday's home opener. The team shot at a 61 percent clip from three-point range and had four players - Marquez (20 points), Ayzhiana Basallo (15), Fieme'a Hafoka (13) and Tyra Whitehead (10) - finish the night scoring in double figures.
The 61 percent mark from beyond the arc set a record for single-game three-point field goal percentage in the Craighead era.
It was a quick burst of offense late in the first quarter that allowed the home team to create some initial separation.
Getting buckets from four different players in a 90 second span, SJSU went on a quick 8-0 run that turned a 10-10 tie into an 18-10 advantage as the opening stanza wound to a close. That lead would eventually be extended to 12 at the halftime break as San José State took a 39-27 edge into the locker rooms.
While the majority of the third quarter was a back-and-forth affair, a three-point barrage helped the Spartans stretch that advantage out further. A Marquez triple with just over six minutes remaining in the quarter gave her team a 48-36 lead, marking the first of five long-distance calls the team would make in the next five minutes.
CYDNI LEWIS WITH THE THREEEEE???? Spartans pulling away with a 51-39 lead! pic.twitter.com/r4vscZ1TYJ
— San Jose State WBB (@SanJoseStateWBB) November 9, 2019
"We are starting to get more comfortable within ourselves and playing off of each other," Marquez said when asked about the team's offensive output. "We attacked off the ball screen really well and that opened things up for our shooters."
Those shooters would grow the SJSU lead to as many as 23 points in the second half as the team eased its way to victory. The Eagles (0-2) did pull within 13 with four minutes to play but a quick layup from Whitehead and another Marquez three erased any notions of a comeback.
The final score was 84-66, improving San José State to .500 on the season and 5-2 in home openers throughout the Craighead era.
Marquez finished the night making 6-of-7 attempts from three-point range while Hafoka also impressed, knocking down three of her four attempts from beyond the arc while also tallying four steals. Guard Courtesy Clark led the team on the glass with seven rebounds.
The team will now look to keep things rolling as it embarks on a two-game road trip that begins on Tuesday afternoon at Santa Clara. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. against the rival Broncos.