San José, Calif. - San José State will return to the hardwood for a showdown featuring two of the Mountain West's top three teams on Wednesday night in Boise.
Boise State comes into the week with a record of 18-9 (10-5 Mountain West) and has been led by senior Riley Lupfer, who paces the Bronco offense with an average of 12.3 points per game. It's Oregon transfer Mallory McGwire tops the team on the glass, pulling down an average of 8.3 boards per game.
The Spartans boast the conference's leading scorer and one of the nation's top guards in the form of Ayzhiana Basallo. The sophomore is averaging 19.6 points and 4.8 assists per game as the month of February rolls on.
Forward Tyra Whitehead is also enjoying a sensational stretch of basketball and was rewarded with a Mountain West Player of the Week honor back on January 27. Whitehead has scored in double figures in seven of her last eight games and has tallied 11 double-doubles on the season (a mark that includes three straight games with a double-double).
Wednesday's contest will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with Chris Lewis 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
THE BOOK ON BOISE
Wednesday's meeting will serve as the 28th game of the season for Boise State. The team currently owns an 18-9 record and is coming off a two-point overtime win at San Diego State on Saturday. The Broncos are 10-5 in Mountain West play this season and sit just a half game ahead of San Jose State for second place in the conference standings.
It's senior Riley Lupfer who paces the Boise State offense with an average of 12.3 points per game. Oregon transfer Mallory McGwire tops the team on the glass, pulling down an average of 8.3 boards per game.
The Broncos are 11-4 at home this season. They are coming off a loss in their last contest at ExtraMile Arena, a 58-56 decision to Utah State back on Feb. 8.
SJSU VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Overall, San José State is 120-225 against the current make up of schools in the Mountain West. The Spartans last conference victory came over this same Boise State team on Jan. 29.
Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo led her team in the 74-61 victory at the Provident Credit Union Event Center, tallying 28 points while pulling down five rebounds. After Wednesday's tilt, San José State's next Mountain West game will come on Saturday against Colorado State at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
BASALLO NAMED MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR SEMIFINALIST
Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo has been named as one of 10 semifinalists for the Her Hoop Stats Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award. The point guard is the youngest player on the list and the only representative from the Mountain West.
WHITE(HEAD) NOISE
Forward Tyra Whitehead ranks No. 19 in all of Division I and is first in the Mountain West with 253 rebounds. Her 11 double-doubles on the season slots her at second in the conference and 26th nationally in that category. Whitehead has made 160 field goals on the season and is 36 makes away from breaking into the program's top-10 list for made field goals in a season.
The Wake Forest transfer became just the second player in program history to join the 20/20 Club last month, tallying 22 points and 20 rebounds against first-place 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). It was an all-around strong month for the forward, who was named the Mountain West Player of the Week on Jan. 27 after recording back-to-back double-doubles in wins over New Mexico and Air Force.
BASALLO BREAKDOWN
Ayzhiana Basallo has been one of the top guards in the country this season, ranking 17th nationally in points per game (19.6) and No. 55 in assists with 4.8 per game. She is also one of the nation's top free throw shooters, slotted second in Division I with a 92.7% clip at the charity stripe. Her 127 makes at the charity stripe has her at No. 7 on the program's list for made fee throws in a single season (Ta'Rea Cunnigan is all-time leader at 178).
Basallo has scored in double figures in 21 of her 22 games against Division I opponents and has reached the 20-point plateau in 13 of those. In addition, the point guard tops the Mountain West in both scoring and free throw percentage as the month of February continues.
ACTUALLY, STEALING IS GOOD
San José State is ranked No. 11 nationally with 11.2 steals per game. Forward Tyra Whitehead is slotted 35th in the country in that category with 61 thieveries. Guards Fieme'a Hafoka (45 steals) and Danae Marquez (33) are also stealing the ball at a high rate as the month of February continues.
NCAA'S BIGGEST WIN TURNAROUNDS THIS SEASON
San José State currently owns the nation's biggest single-season win turnaround this year:
Team Wins Increase
San Jose State 6 to 15 +9
Eastern Kentucky 2 to 10 +8
Cleveland State 10 to 17 +7
Longwood 3 to 10 +7
UNC Greensboro 11 to 18 +7
BEST WIN TURNAROUNDS IN SCHOOL HISTORY
The following are the top five single-season win turnarounds in program history:
Seasons Wins Increase
1999-00 to 2000-01 3 to 13 +10
2018-19 to 2019-20* 6 to 15 +9
2010-11 to 2011-12 2 to 11 +9
1992-93 to 1993-94 5 to 14 +9
1997-78 to 1978-79 17 to 24 +7
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 3rd
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
CALL IT A COMEBACK
SJSU has 25 halftime comeback wins under head coach Jamie Craighead in her seven seasons, a mark led by six comeback victories this year. Heading into the 2019-20 campaign, her teams' previous high was five halftime comebacks (2015-16 season). A full list of this season's halftime rallies is below, highlighted by the win 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
THREE'S COMPANY
Guard Megan Anderson's 60 three-pointers on the 2019-20 campaign is currently tied for No. 10 (with current senior Analyss Benally; 2017-18) for made three-pointers in a single season at San José State. Anderson is also slotted at seventh on the list after draining 63 triples a year ago. Rebecca Woodberry is the program's all-time leader in the category with 90 made three-pointers in the 2013-14 season.
WINNING WAYS
The Spartans earned their 15th win against this same Boise State team on Jan. 29, a victory that clinched the program's first winning regular season since the 2004-05 campaign (went 17-11 in regular season).
ROAD WARRIORS (OR SPARTANS)
SJSU already has six road wins in total on the 2019-20 campaign. This is the program's first season with more than five road victories since winning eight in the 2004-05 campaign. 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).
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). Finally, the 128 points is the second most scored by a Division I team this season (Coastal Carolina, 132).
GOOD WAY TO START A YEAR
San José State finished the month of January with a record of 7-1, matching the program's second-best January in school history (also went 7-01 in 1981-82). The 1978-79 Spartans have the current record, going 10-0 in the first month of the year en route to a 24-4 record.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
San José State's 9-1 start to conference play marked the program's best 10-game start to conference play in 41 years. The 1978-79 Spartans went 12-0 in NorPac action that season.
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.
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.
CARDIAC SPARTANS
The Spartans have been one of the conference's top teams in the clutch this season, winning eight games decided by one or two possessions. Half of those eight victories have come by three points or less.
ON THE BENCH
In addition to being the youngest staff in the conference, 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.
#BEATBOISE
San José State took down defending Mountain West champion and preseason favorite Boise State in a 74-61 last month. The victory marked the program's first-ever regular season win over the team picked in first place for the conference's preseason poll.
SEARCHING FOR SOME MARCH MADNESS
The Spartans are aiming to make their first postseason tournament in NCAA program history this year. The school's last trip to the postseason came prior to NCAA sponsorship as the 1980-81 Spartans faced USC in the first round of the AIAW Regionals.
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)
Her Hoop Stats Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year
Semifinalist (Feb. 4)
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
College Sports Madness
Mountain West Player of the Week (Jan. 27)
Mountain West
Player of the Week (Jan. 27)
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.