San José, Calif. - Fresh off a thrilling, 81-80 victory on New Year's Day at The Pit against New Mexico, San José State will look for its first 4-0 start to conference play since the 2005-06 season when it hosts rival Fresno State on Saturday afternoon.
The first-place showdown at the Provident Credit Union Event Center will feature the conference's top two teams and top four scorers.
The Bulldogs come into the weekend with a record of 10-4 (3-0 Mountain West) and have been led by forward Maddi Utti, who is second in the conference behind Spartan sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo with 17.2 points per game. Hanna (16.6 points per game) and Haley (16.0) Cavinder follow closely behind Utti and are slotted at third and fourth on the Mountain West's scoring list.
Saturday's contest will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with Daniel Barrera 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
FOCUSING ON FRESNO STATE
Saturday's meeting will also serve as the 15th game of the season for Fresno State. The team currently owns a 10-4 record, most recently rolling to a 79-54 victory over San Diego State on Wednesday. Both the Bulldogs and San José State are at the top of the Mountain West standings with matching 3-0 records in conference play.
In addition to a battle of first-place teams, Saturday's game will also feature the Mountain West's top four scorers. Spartan point guard Ayzhiana Basallo (21.1 points per game) tops the league while Fresno State's Maddi Utti (17.2) and Hanna (16.6) and Haley Cavinder (16.0) rank second through fourth.
Saturday's contest will mark the Bulldogs' first conference road game since opening up Mountain West play at UNLV back on Dec. 3. The team currently owns a 4-3 record away from home this season.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD
> Give program first 4-0 start to conference play since 2005-06 season
> Improve record to 7-0 at The Walt this season and extend overall home winning streak to 10 games
> Be better than a loss
SJSU VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Overall, San José State is 114-220 against the current make up of schools in the Mountain West. The Spartans enter having won seven of their last nine conference games, most recently winning at New Mexico on Wednesday.
Guard Megan Anderson led her team in the 81-80 victory at The Pit, tallying 20 points on six three-pointers in the winning effort. After Saturday's tilt, San José State's next Mountain West game will come on Wednesday at Nevada.
AYZHIANA'S AWARDS
Point guard Ayzhiana Basallo has already garnered five weekly awards this season. The sophomore was named the College Sports Madness High-Major Player of the Week (and Mountain West Player of the Week, her second of the year from CSM) back on Dec. 9 after leading her team to a pair of victories to tip-off conference play. Basallo had previously earned back-to-back Mountain West Player of the Week awards from the conference office last month.
FRESNO TIES
Junior guards Megan Anderson and Danae Marquez both hail from Fresno and shined for national power Clovis West HS before coming to San José State. As seniors at Clovis West, the duo led their team to a 34-2 record and were ranked by ESPN, MaxPreps and the Army National Guard as the top-ranked high school team in the nation.
FIRST AT THE PIT
San José State's thrilling, 81-80 victory at New Mexico on Wednesday marked the program's first-ever victory against the Lobos in Albuquerque. The Spartans rallied from 15 points down and had five players score in double figures to earn the historic win.
RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR
Wednesday's game marked the program's fourth-ever contest on New Year's Day. San José State is now 2-2 all-time on the holiday, beating Montana in 1986 before opening 2020 with the one-point win at The Pit.
NOT BAD FOR STARTERS
The Spartans are off to a 3-0 start to conference play for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign and are aiming for their first 4-0 mark since 2005-06. San José State tipped off Mountain West play with a 76-61 win at Utah State back on Dec. 4, then followed that up with a 17-point victory over San Diego State three days later. It then opened the decade with a come-from-behind, 81-80 win at New Mexico on Wednesday.
WELCOME WHITEHEAD
Grad transfer Tyra Whitehead is already making plenty of noise in her first year on campus at San José State. The Wake Forest product ranks No. 20 in all of Division I and is first in the Mountain West with 128 rebounds. Her five double-doubles on the season slots her at second in the conference and 43rd nationally.
BASALLO BREAKDOWN
Whitehead isn't the only transfer to make an early difference this season. Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo is off to the best individual start to a season in program history, ranking third nationally in made free throws (76) and 11th in scoring with 21.1 points per game. San José State as a whole has dominated at the charity stripe, making 213 free throws en route to a top-six ranking nationally.
HOME SWEET HOME
San José State is off to a 6-0 start on its home floor this season, one of just 38 teams nationally with a home record of 6-0 or better. The program has a nine-game home winning streak dating back to last season, a mark that is tied for 24th in all of Division I for longest home winning streaks.
SETTING SOME SCHOOL 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, a mark that stood since Jan. 4, 1979 (44 vs. Arizona). Lastly, its 128 points is the second-most scored by a Division I team this season (Coastal Carolina, 132).
ASSIST U
San José State is ranked No. 4 nationally with 263 assists in 14 games. Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo is slotted 16th in the country in that category, averaging 5.6 assists per game.Guards Danae Marquez (4.1 per game) and Raziya Potter (3.5) are also distributing the ball at a high rate as the team enters the weekend.
LEWIS IN LAHAINA
Forward Cydni Lewis was named to the Maui Jim Maui Classic All-Tournament Team after shining in a pair of performances. The forward came off the bench and exploded for 28 points and seven rebounds and steals in Lahaina.
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.
IT'S A (GOOD) START
San José State's 7-3 record marked the program's best mark through 10 games since the 2004-05 campaign. That team also started 7-3 en route to an 18-12 season.
ROAD WARRIORS (OR SPARTANS)
San José State's 76-61 victory at Utah State earlier this month marked the team's second road win of the season. This is the earliest the program has tallied multiple road victories since the 2004-05 campaign, when it knocked off UC Irvine, San Francisco and New Mexico State all away from home within the team's first seven games.
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.
CALL IT A COMEBACK
San José State rallied from as many as 14 points down at one point before emerging for its 95-88 victory over Buffalo in November. The team made huge second half surges in its back-to-back wins over both the Bulls and San Diego, outscoring its opponents 53-25 in the third quarter alone. It then rallied from 15 points down to post an 81-80 victory at New Mexico on New Year's Day.
SPARTANS IN THE NEWS
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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.