San José, Calif. - Entering New Year's Day in a tie for first place at the top of the Mountain West standings, San José State will look for its first 3-0 start to conference play since the 2015-16 season when it faces New Mexico at The Pit on Wednesday night.
Currently holding an 8-5 overall record, the Spartans won their first two Mountain West games in early December over Utah State and San Diego State.
The Lobos come into the new decade with a record of 9-6 on the season and have been led by sophomore Ahlise Hurst averaging 13.2 points per game for UNM. It's senior Jordan Hosey who tops the team on the glass, pulling down 7.0 rebounds per game for New Mexico.
Wednesday's contest will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with Josh Suchon and Nikki Lobato 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
NAVIGATING NEW MEXICO
Wednesday's meeting will serve as the 16th game of the season for New Mexico. The team currently owns a 9-6 record, most recently falling 70-57 to Ball State on Dec. 20. Coming off a 24-7 season a year ago, the Lobos made a trip to the WNIT before dropping a tightly contested game to Denver.
Sophomore Ahlise Hurst has impressed for UNM, leading the team with an average of 13.2 points per game. It's senior Jordan Hosey who tops the team on the glass, pulling down 7.0 rebounds per game for New Mexico.
Wednesday's contest will round out a five-game homestand for the Lobos, a stretch that tipped off back on Dec. 16 with a 107-53 victory over New Mexico State. The team currently owns a 6-3 record at The Pit this season.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD
> Give program first 3-0 start to conference play since 2015-16 season
> Mark San Jose State's first-ever victory at New Mexico
> Be better than a loss
SJSU VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Overall, San José State is 113-220 against the current make up of schools in the Mountain West. The Spartans enter having won six of their last eight conference games, most recently beating San Diego State on Dec. 7.
Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo led her team in the 84-67 victory at the Provident Credit Union Event Center, tallying 20 points in the winning effort. After Wednesday's tilt, San José State's next Mountain West game will come back at home on Saturday against rival Fresno State.
AYZHIANA'S AWARDS
Point guard Ayzhiana Basallo has already garnered five weekly awards this season. The sophomore was named the College Sports Madness High-Major Player of the Week (and Mountain West Player of the Week, her second of the year from CSM) back on Dec. 9 after leading her team to a pair of victories to tip-off conference play. Basallo had previously earned back-to-back Mountain West Player of the Week awards from the conference office last month.
LEWIS IN LAHAINA
Forward Cydni Lewis was named to the Maui Jim Maui Classic All-Tournament Team after impressing in a pair of performances in Lahaina. The forward came off the bench and exploded for 28 points, seven rebounds, seven steals and four blocks across both games.
LAND OF ENCHANTMENT TIES
Senior Analyss Benally hails from Shiprock, N.M. and will be returning to her home state this week. The guard entered her senior season ranked No. 9 in three-point field goals (118) and 12th in three-point field goal percentage (.320) on the program's career lists.
RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR
San José State has played in three games on New Year's Day in program history, most recently playing at Nevada on the first day of 2014. The program is 1-2 on the holiday entering Wednesday's game, its last win coming back in 1986. The Spartans bested Montana in that tilt, topping the Grizzlies for a 67-60 victory.
NOT BAD FOR STARTERS
The Spartans are off to a 2-0 start to conference play for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign and are aiming for their first 3-0 mark since that same season. San José State tipped off Mountain West play with a 76-61 win at Utah State back on Dec. 4, then followed that up with a 17-point victory over San Diego State three days later.
WELCOME WHITEHEAD
Grad transfer Tyra Whitehead is already making plenty of noise in her first year on campus at San José State. The Wake Forest product ranks No. 22 in all of Division I with 83 made field goals and has already tallied five double-doubles on the season.
BASALLO BREAKDOWN
Whitehead isn't the only transfer to make an early difference this season. Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo is off to the best individual start to a season in program history, ranking third nationally in made free throws (74) and 10th in scoring with 21.3 points per game. San José State as a whole has dominated at the charity stripe, making 204 free throws en route to a top-five ranking nationally.
HOME SWEET HOME
San José State is off to a 6-0 start on its home floor this season, one of just 33 teams nationally with a home record of 6-0 or better. The program has a nine-game home winning streak dating back to last season, a mark that is tied for 24th in all of Division I for longest home winning streaks.
SETTING SOME SCHOOL HISTORY
San José State set multiple school records in its Dec. 14 victory over La Verne. The 128 points scored by the Spartans set a program record for scoring in a single game, topping its previous high of 119 (vs. Columbia, 2014). Its 66-point win broke a record for margin of victory that had stood since 1979 (65 vs. Cal Poly, 1979). In addition, SJSU's 44 made field goals matched the school record for makes in a single game, a mark that stood since Jan. 4, 1979 (44 vs. Arizona).
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
San José State's 128 points against La Verne is the second-most scored by a Division I team this season. Only Coastal Carolina (132 vs. Wesleyan) is ahead of the Spartans on the NCAA's scoring list.
ASSIST U
San José State is ranked No. 4 nationally with 243 assists in 13 games. Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo is slotted 16th in the country in that category, averaging 5.6 assists per game.Guards Danae Marquez (4.2 per game) and Raziya Potter (3.5) are also distributing the ball at a high rate as the team enters the new year.
MAKING MAUI HISTORY
Senior Fieme'a Hafoka made a bit of history when she stepped on the floor on Dec. 18 against BYU, becoming the first-ever Maui native to play in a Division I women's basketball game on the island. Hafoka is a product of Kihei, Hawaii and played many of her high school games in the Lahaina Civic Center.
IT'S A (GOOD) START
San José State's 7-3 record marked the program's best mark through 10 games since the 2004-05 campaign. That team also started 7-3 en route to an 18-12 season.
ROAD WARRIORS (OR SPARTANS)
San José State's 76-61 victory at Utah State earlier this month marked the team's second road win of the season. This is the earliest the program has tallied multiple road victories since the 2004-05 campaign, when it knocked off UC Irvine, San Francisco and New Mexico State all away from home within the team's first seven games.
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.
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.
SPARTANS IN THE NEWS
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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.