ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – San José State celebrated the start of the decade in style on New Year's Day, erasing a 15-point deficit en route to a thrilling victory in Albuquerque.
The Spartans (9-5, 3-0 Mountain West) scored on each of their final three possessions and used a Courtesy Clark block at the buzzer to clinch the 81-80 win. Putting together one of their most balanced efforts of the season when it was needed most, five players finished the night scoring in double figures to lead the team to victory.
Guard Megan Anderson topped the team with 20 points while totaling five rebounds. The junior finished the night shooting 6-of-11 from three-point range and was followed closely by sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo, adding 19 points of her own.
"I just needed to find my flow early in the game to get my rhythm going," said Anderson after the victory. "I was really focused in warmups and in shootaround today and my teammates did a great job of getting me the ball. It really worked out well."
Some lights out shooting early on from the Lobos allowed the home team to jump out to a 36-21 advantage late in the second quarter, however, the Spartans would find their stride coming out of the locker rooms at halftime.
Outscoring New Mexico 35-19 in the third stanza (the team's second 35-point third quarter in the last 18 days), SJSU used a 13-3 run midway through the quarter to open up its first lead of the game. It got that lead on a Danae Marquez triple six minutes into the second half, then pushed the advantage to 56-52 on a Raziya Potter driving layup.
Cooler than the other side of the pillow. @danaeeee2 gives us our first lead and the #benchmob is loving it! pic.twitter.com/P5DTUTVnxi
— San José State Women's Basketball (@SanJoseStateWBB) January 2, 2020
It was Potter again a few minutes later, this time giving her team their largest lead of the night with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to put San José State up six entering the game's final 10 minutes.
Those final 10 would be a tense, back-and-forth affair as neither team led by more than two possessions.
Trailing 77-74 with one minute remaining, Basallo's final field goal of the night ended up being her biggest. The point guard buried a three to even the score, then hit a pair of free throws with just eight seconds left to put the visitors up 81-80.
Basallo with the ice in her veins.
— San José State Women's Basketball (@SanJoseStateWBB) January 2, 2020
All tied up with one minute to play here at The Pit! pic.twitter.com/pHz05uN77f
The Spartans would then make not one, but two stops on the game's final possession, forcing a bad miss before Clark blocked a last-second shot at the win. The sequence sealed the deal on the team's 81-80 victory, marking the program's first-ever win at New Mexico.
"Winning here just feels amazing," Anderson said. "We had never done it but now we're 3-0 in conference and on a roll. We just need to stay hungry and keep practicing hard."
Joining Anderson and Basallo in double figures were Marquez (14 points), senior Fieme'a Hafoka (13) and Potter (12). The team was topped on the glass by forward Tyra Whitehead, pulling down nine rebounds while peppering the stat sheet with four assists and a pair of steals.
The first-place Spartans now return to The Walt, putting their nine-game home winning streak on the line against rival Fresno State on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. in San José.