Berkeley, Calif. – Fresh off a season filled with milestones, San José State set another one to tip-off the 2020-21 campaign on Wednesday.
Erasing an early deficit, the Spartans (1-0) marched into Haas Pavilion and emerged with a 56-48 victory over California. The victory is the program's first against a Pac-12 school since SJSU defeated the Golden Bears back in 2009.
"Getting a road win against a Pac-12 program is the standard we want here," said senior Cydni Lewis after the victory. "It's tough playing after having that much time off but we came in here and held them to under 50 points. That's a huge win for us."
Lewis (10 points) was one of three Spartans who finished the night scoring in double figures. Point guard Ayzhiana Basallo matched Lewis with 10 points of her own, while senior Tyra Whitehead notched 12 points and 10 rebounds for her 14th career double-double.
The Golden Bears (0-1) jumped out to a 23-12 advantage in this one, but a strong final four minutes of the first half allowed head coach Jamie Craighead's team to carry plenty of momentum into the locker rooms.
A 7-0 run, bookended by an Analyss Benally triple and a Danae Marquez layup at the buzzer, cut the deficit to just four points at the half. San José State only allowed a total of six points in the entire second quarter.
The team then came out of the locker rooms red-hot with a mini 7-2 burst, this one giving the visitors the lead at 26-25.
The Spartans saw their lead grow to as many as nine with 7:40 to play when some precise court vision resulted in a Whitehead steal and a Basallo jumper.
It was Basallo who was able to put the game on ice from the charity stripe in the final minute. After California pulled to within 50-48, one of the nation's top free throw shooters a year ago was able to work her magic again.
The Bay Area native went 6-for-6 from the line in the closing 45 seconds, sealing the deal on the 56-48 win in Berkeley.
"We put in a lot of work in the little time we did get this offseason," Lewis said. "Everybody stepped up and that work paid off today."
The 48 points scored by the Golden Bears were the fewest for a Spartan opponent in a season-opener since holding Sacramento State to 46 back in 2004.
Senior Courtesy Clark was the team's second-leading rebounder in this one, pulling down seven boards on the day. Clark also hit each of the first two shots she attempted from three-point range.
Courtesy Clark.
— San José State Women's Basketball (@SanJoseStateWBB) November 26, 2020
Still 100% from three-point range this season. @curtyagurl ?? pic.twitter.com/m6xtVHtUap
Guard Raziya Potter came off the bench to pour in eight points for SJSU while Marquez added seven in the win.
The team will look to keep things rolling when it meets another Bay Area foe - San Francisco - next week. San José State is set to play five non-conference games this season before starting Mountain West action on Dec. 21 against Utah State.
SPARTAN ATHLETICS FUND FAN CUTOUTS
Spartan Nation, don't miss your chance to be represented in the stands at the Provident Credit Union Event Center this season. If interested in a cardboard cutout, follow this link to register!