San José, Calif. – Ayzhiana Basallo kept one eye on the clock and another on her defender.
The nation's most productive point guard then took three dribbles towards the hoop, switched hands, and let the ball fly.
On a night when San José State's defense allowed just six points in the fourth quarter, it was the game's final offensive possession that stole the show. Basallo's game-winner gave her team its fourth victory in its last five games, all of which have come by five points or less for a bunch that has a flair for the dramatic.
"I just wanted to get a bucket," said Basallo when asked about the final play. "I looked up and it went in. Everyone was running towards me and I really couldn't believe it myself."
The Spartans (12-6, 6-1 Mountain West) were led by a pair of sensational sophomores and junior Tyra Whitehead in their 62-60 victory over visiting UNLV. Basallo led all scorers with 17 points while Whitehead tallied 13 points and four rebounds. Sophomore Raziya Potter was the other Spartan in double figures, finishing with 10 points while dishing out three assists.
Here's another angle of that BEAUTY!! pic.twitter.com/rMRyCWCM5L
— San José State Women's Basketball (@SanJoseStateWBB) January 16, 2020
Playing one of its top defensive games of the year, five players in total finished the night with multiple steals. Whitehead, ranked 24th nationally in steals entering the week, added three more to her ledger on Wednesday.
"We made big stops and got big rebounds," associate head coach Alle Moreno said. "The girls buckled down in the fourth quarter and communicated well. Our ball screen defense was sharp and we were grabbing rebounds with reckless abandon."
Wednesday's game featured 22 lead changes and six ties with neither team holding a lead of more than two possessions the whole way.
The back-and-forth nature of the contest held true early, but it was the home team that took some momentum into the locker rooms with a 10-2 run to close out the first half. Holding a 33-31 advantage at the break, Whitehead would get her strong second half started on SJSU's second possession of the third period by converting a layup through contact.
The Lady Rebels (8-9, 4-2 Mountain West) ultimately led 54-50 at the end of the third stanza, but that would close the book on the visiting team's offensive success. San José State forced 15 turnovers in the game's final 10 minutes, none bigger than a Megan Anderson steal with just eight seconds remaining.
Having just rallied from a 60-56 deficit on four points from Basallo, Anderson's thievery set the stage for the sophomore from The City to close the book on the comeback she started.
The point guard promptly dribbled the clock all the way down before banking the ball off the glass and through the bottom of the net. The game-winner snapped UNLV's five-game winning streak and kept the Spartans in second place in the process.
"That's another one we had to grind out," said Moreno. "Our girls are just finding ways to get the job done and make plays at the end of the games. We learned a lot towards the end of last year and we've continued to bond through these close-game situations."
It wouldn't have been a close game without a stout defensive effort from the Spartans, one that allowed just six points in the game's fourth quarter. The team has now held its opponent to a single-digit fourth quarter in back-to-back games (allowed nine at Colorado State on Saturday).
San José State is now 6-1 in Mountain West play, the program's best seven-game start to conference play since the 1978-79 season (went 12-0 in NorPac action).
The Spartans now have one week off but will be back at Provident Credit Union Event Center on Wednesday against New Mexico. Tip-off is set for 11:00 a.m. on Walt McPherson Court.