San José, Calif. - Entering the final week of the regular season in third place in the Mountain West standings, San José State returns to the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Saturday to tip-off its final homestand of the year.
SJSU will meet Colorado State on Saturday afternoon before hosting Utah State on Senior Night come Monday.
The Rams head to San José with a record of 12-14 on the season and have been led by seniors Andrea Brady and Makenzie Ellis, pacing the offense with an average of 10.2 points per game. Brady also tops the team on the boards, pulling down an average of 8.4 rebounds per game.
The Aggies are 7-20 and own a 2-14 mark in Mountain West play. Senior Hailey Bassett leads the Utah State offense with an average of 13.4 points per game. It's Bassett and fellow senior Marlene Aniambossou who top the team on the glass with a clip of 5.4 boards per game.
Both games will be streamed live 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
PLAY4KAY
Saturday's contest will serve as San José State's 2020 Play4Kay game. Play4Kay is the largest fundraising initiative of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
Since its inception in 2007, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has awarded $7.78 million to support scientific research and programs that serve the underserved in the fight against all cancers affecting women.
CHECKING ON COLORADO STATE
Saturday's meeting will also serve as the 27th game of the season for Colorado State. The team currently owns a 12-14 record and is coming off a four-point win over UNLV on Wednesday. The Rams are 6-9 in Mountain West play this season and sit in eighth place in the conference standings.
It's seniors Andrea Brady and Makenzie Ellis who pace the Colorado State offense with an average of 10.2 points per game. Brady also tops the team on the boards, pulling down an average of 8.4 rebounds per game.
The Rams are 3-8 on the road this season. They are coming off a win in their last game away from home, however, a 67-61 victory at Utah State on Feb. 12.
UNDERSTANDING UTAH STATE
That Utah State team will come calling on Monday for San José State's Senior Night. The team will enter with a 7-20 record and is coming off a 19-point loss at Wyoming on Wednesday. The Aggies are 2-14 in Mountain West play this season and are in last place in the Mountain West standings.
Senior Hailey Bassett leads the Utah State offense with an average of 13.4 points per game. It's Bassett and fellow senior Marlene Aniambossou who top the team on the glass with a clip of 5.4 boards per game.
The Aggies are 3-11 away from home this season, taking down Long Beach State, Air Force and Boise State for that trio of wins.
SJSU VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Overall, San José State is 120-226 against the current make up of schools in the Mountain West. The Spartans last conference victory came against Boise State 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 this homestand, San José State's next Mountain West game will come on Thursday night at UNLV.
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. 16 in all of Division I and is second in the Mountain West with 263 rebounds. Her 12 double-doubles on the season (three of which have come in her last three games) slots her at second in the conference and 20th nationally in that category. Whitehead has made 166 field goals on the season and is 29 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.
SENIOR SHOUTOUT
Seniors Fieme'a Hafoka and Alexis Harris will be honored prior to their final home game against Utah State on Monday night. The game will be Hafoka's 118th in a Spartan uniform, tying her for the eighth most appearances in program history (leaders played in 122). Harris - a Palo Alto product - has been with the program since the 2016-17 season.
NCAA'S BIGGEST WIN TURNAROUNDS THIS SEASON
San José State currently owns the nation's second largest single-season win turnaround this year:
Team Wins Increase
Ball State 8 to 18 +10
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
BASALLO BREAKDOWN
Ayzhiana Basallo has been one of the top guards in the country this season, ranking 21st nationally in points per game (19.1) and No. 62 in assists with 4.7 per game. She is also one of the nation's top free throw shooters, slotted second in Division I with a 93.0% clip at the charity stripe. Her 133 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 23 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 rolls on.
WINNING WAYS
The Spartans earned their 15th win against Boise State 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).
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)
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.
ACTUALLY, STEALING IS GOOD
San José State is ranked No. 10 nationally with 290 steals in 26 games. Forward Tyra Whitehead is slotted 28th in the country in that category with 63 thieveries. Guards Fieme'a Hafoka (45 steals) and Danae Marquez (37) are also stealing the ball at a high rate as the month of February continues.
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.
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.