USAF Academy, Colo. – Just as comfortable on the road as it is at home, San José State secured its fifth straight road victory - and its fifth consecutive win overall - in thrilling fashion on Saturday afternoon at Air Force.
Led by a trio of scorers in double figures, a balanced Spartan (14-6, 8-1 Mountain West) attack was able to hold on to a tight lead throughout the second half and put the game away at the free throw line to earn the 68-60 win. The victory gives the program its longest road winning streak since the 1978-79 season.
SJSU was paced by a pair of guards and some dominant post play in this one. Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo led all scorers with 20 points while senior Fieme'a Hafoka tallied 13 points and five rebounds.
"I was trying to show as much leadership as I could out there," Basallo said when asked about her effort. "Whether it's scoring or stepping up off the ball on offense or defense. I have great teammates so I want to give my all for them."
Forward Tyra Whitehead put together another dominant performance in the post, pouring in 11 points while pulling down 16 rebounds. The double-double is the Wake Forest transfer's ninth of the season.
Saturday's game featured three lead changes and a trio of ties. The win improves the team's record to 8-1 on the year when leading at halftime.
The first half wasn't all smooth sailing as the Falcons scored the game's first seven points. The visitors from Silicon Valley were undeterred, however, remaining calm and hitting the comeback trail with a smooth layup from sophomore Raziya Potter.
San José State was able to pull within 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, then took a 28-24 lead into the locker rooms at halftime after a solid second stanza.
And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
— San José State Women's Basketball (@SanJoseStateWBB) January 25, 2020
This @raziya_24 and-one gives us our first lead of the afternoon. pic.twitter.com/m0LDgJgqXl
The final 20 minutes proved to be a tense affair with neither side leading by more than 10 points. A beautiful Basallo pass and converted layup from Whitehead that gave the Spartans that 10-point lead with nine minutes remaining, a hole that the home team would never be able to climb all the way out of.
Timeouttttt Falcons! @tmarie1533 has 10 and the Spartan lead is 10. pic.twitter.com/0ocYa2DIyM
— San José State Women's Basketball (@SanJoseStateWBB) January 25, 2020
It was Basallo who was able to salt away the victory at the charity stripe. The conference's leading scorer clutched up once again for the Spartans, hitting seven free throws in the game's final three minutes to seal the deal on the 68-60 victory.
"We're just playing hard out there," said Basallo on the team's recent success. "But we need to stick to the fundamentals and keep having good practices. We're kind of on a roll but that just wants us to work that much harder."
SJSU is now 14-6 on the season, marking the first time the program has been eight games over .500 since the 2004-05 season (also started 14-6).
The Spartans will put their winning streak on the line Wednesday as they welcome Boise State to the Provident Credit Union Event Center. Tip-off for the pivotal conference battle is set for 7:00 p.m.