San José, Calif. - Heading back on the road after sweeping its two-game homestand, San José State will look to continue its winning ways on Saturday afternoon at Air Force.
The Falcons enter the weekend with a record of 4-15 (2-6 Mountain West) and are 2-7 at home this season. It's guard Kaelin Immel who paces the Air Force offense with an average of 15.4 points per game. Immel's running mate in the backcourt, Emily Conroe, tops the team on the glass with an average of 7.2 rebounds per game.
The Spartans boast the conference's leading scorer and one of the nation's top guards in Ayzhiana Basallo. The sophomore is one of just two players nationally to average 20+ points and 5+ assists per game as the month of January rolls on.
It was Basallo and forward Tyra Whitehead who led SJSU to a victory on Wednesday against New Mexico as Whitehead tallied her eighth double-double of the season in the winning effort.
Saturday's contest will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with Roland Vargish and Rachel Galligan 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
EXAMINING AIR FORCE
Saturday's meeting will also serve as the 20th game of the season for Air Force. The team currently owns a 4-15 record and has dropped its last four games. The Falcons are off to a 2-6 start to Mountain West play this season and sit in a tie for eighth place in the conference standings.
It's guard Kaelin Immel who paces the Air Force offense with an average of 15.4 points per game. Immel's running mate in the backcourt, Emily Conroe, tops the team on the glass with an average of 7.2 rebounds per game.
The Falcons are 2-7 at home this season and have lost three straight inside Clune Arena, most recently dropping a heartbreaker by one-point to Utah State on Wednesday.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD
> Give SJSU its longest winning streak of the season
> Mark the program's first five-game winning streak since the 2015-16 campaign
> Be better than a loss
SJSU VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Overall, San José State is 118-221 against the current make up of schools in the Mountain West. The Spartans enter having won nine of their last 11 conference games, the most recent victory coming against New Mexico on Wednesday.
Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo led her team in the 89-85 victory at the Provident Credit Union Event Center, tallying 26 points while dishing out five assists. After Saturday's tilt, San José State's next Mountain West game will come on Wednesday against Boise State.
ROAD WARRIORS (OR SPARTANS)
San José State has won its first four road games of conference play for the first time since the 1978-79 campaign, when the Spartans won at San Francisco, Santa Clara, Stanford and Fresno State in NorPac action. Its four-game road winning streak is tied for the 17th longest in Division I and is the best in the Mountain West.
SJSU already has five road wins on the 2019-20 campaign. The program has not had a season with more than five road victories since winning eight in the 2004-05 season. Lastly, the team's wins at Nevada and Colorado State earlier this month marked the program's first road sweep since the 2015-16 campaign (won at Air Force and Fresno State).
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
San José State is off to a 7-1 start to conference play, marking the program's best eight-game start to conference play in 41 years. The 1978-79 Spartans went 12-0 in NorPac action that season.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE, PART TWO
Wednesday's victory gave San José State its fourth straight win, marking the team's second four-game winning streak of the season. This is the program's first year with multiple four-game winning streaks since the 1981-82 campaign.
BASALLO BREAKDOWN
Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo is playing as well as any guard in the country, ranking 11th nationally in points per game (20.9) and No. 24 in assists with 5.2 per game. She is also one of the nation's top free throw shooters, slotted sixth in Division I with a 92% clip at the charity stripe. In addition, the point guard tops the Mountain West in both scoring and free throw percentage as the month of January continues.
Basallo is one of just two players nationally averaging 20+ points and 5+ assists per game. She has scored in double figures in each of her 16 games against Division I opponents and has reached the 20-point plateau in 10 of those.
20/20 CLUB
Grad transfer Tyra Whitehead became just the second player in program history to join the 20/20 Club on Jan. 4, tallying 22 points and 20 rebounds against Fresno State. Whitehead was just the 13th player in all of Division I to accomplish the feat this season and is the first to do so at San José State since Lora Alexander (1989).
MORE WHITEHEAD
Forward Tyra Whitehead has been producing all year in her first season on-campus at San José State. The Wake Forest transfer ranks No. 10 in all of Division I and is first in the Mountain West with 192 rebounds. Her eight double-doubles on the season slots her at second in the conference and 24th nationally in that category. In addition, Whitehead is one of just two players nationally averaging 10+ rebounds and 2.5+ steals per game.
ASSIST U
San José State is ranked No. 7 nationally with 343 assists in 19 games. Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo is slotted 24th in the country in that category with 5.2 assists per game. Guards Danae Marquez (3.8) and Raziya Potter (3.2) are also distributing the ball at a high rate as the month of January rolls on.
CARDIAC SPARTANS
The Spartans have been one of the nation's top teams in the clutch this season, winning eight games decided by one or two possessions (Boise State is MW's next closest with six wins). Each victory in this current four-game winning streak has come by five points or fewer, a stretch that started with a two-point win in overtime at Nevada.
MAKING SOME 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 (44 vs. Arizona on Jan. 4, 1979).
ON THE BENCH
The Spartans are one of just three schools in the Mountain West (Air Force and Nevada) with an all-female coaching staff. This is head coach Jamie Craighead's seventh season with the Spartans while associate head coach Alle Moreno is now in her fifth year. Assistant coaches Carlotta Kloppenburg and Arielle Wideman joined the staff in 2018.
CALL IT A COMEBACK
The Spartans own six victories on the season after trailing at halftime, highlighted by a 10-point halftime deficit at New Mexico:
Nov. 15, 2019 / -4 at half / SJSU 73, at UC Santa Barbara 70
Nov. 21, 2019 / -7 at half / SJSU 95, Buffalo 88
Nov. 23, 2019 / -7 at half / SJSU 88, San Diego 82
Jan. 1, 2020 / -10 at half / SJSU 81, at New Mexico 80
Jan. 8, 2020 / -6 at half / SJSU 72, at Nevada 70 (OT)
Jan. 11, 2020 / -9 at half / SJSU 58, at Colorado State 53
SINGLE DIGIT DEFENSIVE QUARTERS (SINCE 2019)
San José State has tallied seven single-digit quarters on defense since the start of 2019, led by a five-point second quarter in February's 73-60 victory over Air Force:
7 vs. UNLV - 1st quarter (1/19/19)
7 vs. UNLV - 2nd quarter (1/19/19)
9 at San Diego State - 2nd quarter (2/2/19)
5 vs. Air Force - 2nd quarter (2/23/19)
8 at Utah State - 1st quarter (12/4/19)
9 at Colorado State - 4th quarter (1/11/20)
6 vs. UNLV - 4th quarter (1/15/20)
BEST MOUNTAIN WEST FINISHES FOR TEAMS SELECTED LAST IN PRESEASON POLL
The following are the best five finishes for teams selected last in the history of the Mountain West Preseason Poll:
Season Team Picked Finished
2019-20 San José State 11th Currently 2nd
2018-19 San José State 11th 9th
2017-18 Air Force 11th 8th
2011-12 Boise State 8th 6th
2007-08 Air Force 9th 7th
2005-06 Air Force 9th 7th
2019-20 HONORS
AYZHIANA BASALLO
College Sports Madness
High Major Player of the Week (Dec. 9)
Mountain West Player of the Week (Nov. 25, Dec. 9)
Mountain West
Player of the Week (Nov. 18, Nov. 25)
CYDNI LEWIS
Maui Jim Maui Classic
All-Tournament Team (Dec. 18-19)
San José State University
Student-Athlete of the Month (December, 2019)
TYRA WHITEHEAD
Global Women's Sports Radio
Athlete of the Month (January, 2020)
FIRST AT THE PIT
San José State's 81-80 win on New Year's Day in Albuquerque marked the program's first-ever victory at New Mexico.
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.
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.
SPARTANS IN THE NEWS
Be sure to bookmark our clips and links page for all of the latest San José State women's basketball coverage.
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.