San José, Calif. - Red-hot San José State returned to the floor on Saturday and picked up right where it left off, using one of its most complete performances of the season en route to the conference victory.
Four Spartans scored in double figures to lead the team to an 84-67 win over visiting San Diego State, keeping the first-place Spartans (7-3, 2-0 MW) at the top of the Mountain West standings.
Led by another 20-plus point showing for sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo, SJSU held a 42-30 advantage at halftime before cruising to the 17-point victory. The win marks the program's fifth victory in its last six conference home openers.
Right behind Basallo (20 points) in the scoring column was guard Megan Anderson, totaling 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Forward Tyra Whitehead added 16 points and nine rebounds while point guard Danae Marquez dropped 10 points off the bench.
"The whole team battled," said head coach Jamie Craighead after the victory. "We had so many players in double figures. The ball moved well and we made it really tough to guard."
Three different players - Basallo, Marquez and Fieme'a Hafoka - moved the ball with plenty of efficiency as each finished the afternoon with five assists. Marquez, a freshman at the time, was a part of the program's last game with three players dishing out at least five assists, joining Myzhanique Ladd and Taylor Turney in a 2017 overtime victory at rival Santa Clara.
San José State has made a living in its ball movement so far on the 2019-20 campaign, entering the day ranked No. 6 nationally in assists.
The home team jumped out to a hot start in this one and never looked back, holding a 24-18 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 12-point edge at the halftime break. The Spartans ended each of the first two quarters with buzzer-beating shots, getting a Whitehead putback and a Basallo three-pointer to excite the home crowd and give the team even more momentum.
The Aztecs (4-6, 1-1 MW) were able to pull within 67-60 with just under six minutes remaining, however, that would be the closest the visitors got. A mini 8-3 run pushed the lead back out to double digits, and a pair of Basallo free throws with less than a minute left stretched the advantage out to 17.
84-67 was the final score, marking the team's sixth win in its last seven games. The 17-point victory was the program's largest win in a conference game since December 29, 2016 (107-84 vs. Nevada).
An increased emphasis on defense to start conference play has resulted in two of the team's best defensive showings this season. It finished the day with 26 points off turnovers while making 10 steals and five blocks.
"The past two games we have been really gritty on defense," Anderson said. "We have been really gritty on the defensive end of the court with a goal of getting more stops."
The 2-0 start to Mountain West play is the program's first since the 2015-16 season, when it beat Utah State, Air Force and San Diego State to open up conference action.
It's back to non-conference play now for SJSU, where it will look to build on its two-game winning streak next Saturday against La Verne at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. Tip-off for that one is set for 1:00 p.m as the team looks to stay undefeated at home this season.
