San José, Calif. - San José State will tip-off Mountain West action and the month of December when it plays at Utah State on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. (MT).
Off to their best start in 15 years, the Spartans have been led by two-time Mountain West Player of the Week winner Ayzhiana Basallo. The sophomore is averaging 23.1 points per game and ranks first in all of Division I with 62 made free throws.
The meeting between SJSU and the Aggies will be the 30th all-time between the two programs. San José State emerged victorious in the last matchup, earning a 68-59 victory for its second win of the 2018-19 season.
This year's Utah State team enters the week with a record of 2-4 and will face Dixie State on Monday night before the Spartans come calling. Sophomore Steph Gorman has impressed for the Aggies, leading the team with an average of 14.8 points per game. It's a pair of senior forwards, Hailey Bassett and Marlene Aniambossou, who have got the job done on the boards, pulling down an average of 6.2 rebounds per game.
A win for SJSU would mark the program's fifth victory in its last six conference openers.
Wednesday's contest will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with Jaden Johnson 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 UTAH STATE
Wednesday's meeting will serve as the eighth game of the season for Utah State. The team currently owns a 2-4 record and will meet Dixie State on Monday night before the Spartans come calling. Coming off a 17-15 season a year ago that featured a trip to the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational, the Aggies have tallied wins over Seattle University and Long Beach State thus far on the 2019-20 campaign. Their most recent game came against in-state rival BYU, falling 67-50 to the Cougars in Provo.
Sophomore Steph Gorman has impressed for Utah State, leading the team with an average of 14.8 points per game. It's a pair of senior forwards, Hailey Bassett and Marlene Aniambossou, who have got the job done on the boards, pulling down an average of 6.2 rebounds per game.
Wednesday's contest will mark the end of a quick two-game homestand for the Aggies. The two teams will meet again in the penultimate game of the regular season, coming on Feb. 24 at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
SJSU VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Overall, San José State is 111-220 against the current make up of schools in the Mountain West. The Spartans enter having won four of their last six conference games, most recently beating rival Fresno State to end the 2018-19 regular season.
A sophomore at the time, current Spartan Danae Marquez led all scorers with 21 points in that win. Wednesday's meeting with Utah State will mark the first of 18 conference games for SJSU.
AYZHIANA'S AWARDS
Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo had quite the month of November. The guard made some school history on Nov. 25 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
Wednesday's meeting with Utah State marks the program's earliest start to league play since joining the Mountain West. San José State will play one more league game (vs. San Diego State on Saturday) before stepping back into non-conference play for three additional contests.
ASSIST U
San José State enters the week ranked No. 11 nationally with 145 assists through four weeks of basketball. Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo is slotted third in the country in that category, dishing out a total of 51 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 (3.4 APG) and Raziya Potter (2.9 APG) are following closely behind their running mate.
NOT BAD FOR STARTERS
The Spartans have dominated in their recent conference openers, winning four of their last five and six of eight dating back to the 2011-12 campaign. Their last win in a Mountain West lid-lifter came against this same Utah State program on Dec. 28, 2017, a 79-66 victory over the Aggies at The Event Center.
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 last month. The team made huge second half surges in its back-to-back 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 last 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 last 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 5-3 record marks the program's best mark through eight games since the 2004-05 campaign. SJSU'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 first (as in, no one is better) in all of Division I in made free throws. The sophomore's 62 makes on 68 attempts leads the nation, while San José State as a whole is ranked No. 6 nationally in free throw percentage.
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. 32 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.