San José, Calif. - Tipping off a stretch that features seven games in 19 days, San José State returns home Saturday afternoon to play host to Nevada.
The Wolf Pack enter the weekend with a record of 11-12 (4-8 Mountain West) and are 2-8 on the road this season. It's sophomore Essence Booker who paces the Nevada offense with an average of 12.2 points per game. Senior Marguerite Effa tops the team on the glass, pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game to lead the team in the post.
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 4.5+ assists per game and was named as a semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award earlier this week.
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
NAVIGATING NEVADA
Saturday's meeting will serve as the 24th game of the season for Nevada. The team currently owns an 11-12 record and has won two of its last three games. The Wolf Pack are 4-8 in Mountain West play this season and sit in a tie for seventh place in the conference standings.
It's sophomore Essence Booker who paces the Nevada offense with an average of 12.2 points per game. Senior Marguerite Effa tops the team on the glass, pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game to lead the team in the post.
The Wolf Pack are 2-8 on the road this season. One of those two wins came on Wednesday night at Air Force as Nevada escaped from the USAF Academy with a 71-67 victory.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD
> Give the program two wins in one season over Nevada for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign
> Give the program 10 home victories for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign (also won 10 that season)
> Be better than a loss
SJSU VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Overall, San José State is 120-222 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 over defending champion and preseason favorite Boise State last week.
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 Saturday's tilt, San José State's next Mountain West game will come on Feb. 12 at Fresno State.
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.
BASALLO BREAKDOWN
Ayzhiana Basallo is playing as well as any guard in the country, ranking 10th nationally in points per game (20.7) and No. 52 in assists with 4.9 per game. She is also one of the nation's top free throw shooters, slotted second in Division I with a 92.9% clip at the charity stripe. Her 118 makes at the charity stripe has her at No. 9 on the program's list for made fee throws in a single season (Ta'Rea Cunnigan is all-time leader at 178).
Basallo is one of just two players nationally averaging 20+ points and 4.5+ assists per game. She has scored in double figures in each of her 19 games against Division I opponents and has reached the 20-point plateau in 12 of those. In addition, the point guard tops the Mountain West in both scoring and free throw percentage as the month of February continues.
BUSY STRETCH
Saturday's meeting with Nevada will tip-off a stretch of seven games in 19 days to put a lid on the regular season for the Spartans.
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).
A WINNING TREND
San José State is 5-1 after losses this season and has posted a win in eight of its last nine regular season games that have followed a loss.
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.
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
* In Progress
YOUTH MOVEMENT
In addition to being one of three schools in the Mountain West with an all-female coaching staff, San José State also boasts the youngest staff in the conference:
Team Average Age (In Years)
San José State 29.2
Nevada 36.6
Fresno State 36.8
UNLV 36.8
Wyoming 37.4
New Mexico 37.5
San Diego State 39.2
Colorado State 39.6
Air Force 40.8
Boise State 41.6
Utah State 42.5
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
WHITE(HEAD) NOISE
Forward Tyra Whitehead ranks No. 12 in all of Division I and is first in the Mountain West with 222 rebounds. Her nine double-doubles on the season slots her at second in the conference and 33rd nationally in that category. Whitehead has made 134 field goals on the season and is 103 makes away from breaking into the program's top-10 list for made field goals in a season. In addition, Whitehead is one of just two players in the conference to average a double-double (currently at 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game).
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 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.
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 and Fresno State are MW's next closest with six wins). Half of those eight victories have come by three points or less.
SHARING IS CARING
Guard Danae Marquez tallied a pair of assists in Saturday's game at Wyoming, moving the junior to No. 7 on the program's all-time assists list (currently at 311).
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.
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.
THREE'S COMPANY
SJSU's pair of Fresno products in Megan Anderson and Danae Marquez are quickly closing in on some career milestones. Anderson needs just four made three-pointers (currently at 161) to move up to No. 5 on San José State's all-time list, while Marquez needs six (currently at 109) to crack the top-10.
WINNING WAYS
The Spartans earned their 15th win on Jan. 29 against Boise State, a victory that clinched the program's first winning regular season since the 2004-05 campaign (went 17-11 in regular season).
ON THE BENCH
Wednesday marked the annual celebration of National Girls & Women In Sports Day, and 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 victory last week. The victory marked the program's first-ever regular season win over the team picked in first place for the conference's preseason poll. The Broncos haven't lost a game by more than 13 points against a non-power five opponent since Feb. 3, 2018 (77-54 at UNLV).
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.
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
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)
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
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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.