Phoenix, Ariz. - Coming off the program's first victory over a power conference opponent in 11 years, the San José State women's basketball team returns to action when it faces Utah State in Phoenix at GCU Arena on Monday and Wednesday.
The Spartans were led by senior Tyra Whitehead in their historic victory at California. The forward notched the program's first double-double against a power conference opponent since 2004 when she tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds in the victory in Berkeley.
Meeting SJSU in Phoenix are the Aggies out of Logan, Utah. Senior Jessica Chatman (14.2 points/8.8 rebounds per game) is the team's top leading scorer and rebounder through five games. Utah State enters Mountain West play with a record of 2-3, most recently defeating UTEP at home on Sunday.
The first game of the series will start at 6:00 p.m. (MT), while Wednesday's finale is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. (MT) start.
Each game will be televised by the Mountain West Network. Spartan fans can follow San José State on social media all season long by following @SanJoseStateWBB on Twitter or @sjswbb on Instagram.
STORYLINES
ANALYZING THE AGGIES
Utah State is off to a 2-3 start on the 2020-21 season and will also tip-off its conference season when it meets the Spartans. The team is coming off a 68-65 victory over UTEP - a win that snapped a three-game losing streak for the Aggies. Seniors Emmie Harris and Jessica Chatman led their team with 13 points a piece in the win against the Miners.
It's Chatman who leads Utah State in scoring with an average of 14.2 points per game. The forward also tops the team on the glass, pulling down 8.8 rebounds per game.
The Aggies are 0-2 away from home so far this season. Its last victory outside of Logan came back on March 1, an 81-79 overtime win against San Diego State in Las Vegas.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD (MONDAY EDITION)
> Give SJSU its fourth straight win over Utah State
> Mark the program's first 2-0 start since the 2013-14 campaign
> Be better than a loss
SJSU VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Overall, San José State is 124-227 against the current make up of schools in the Mountain West. The Spartans last victory over a Mountain West member came on March 2 against UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Current junior Ayzhiana Basallo led her team in the 67-48 victory in Vegas, tallying 18 points while dishing out three assists. This series will mark SJSU's first conference games of the 2020-21 season.
ON THE BENCH
The San José State-Utah State series will feature two of the country's youngest coaching staffs. Prior to arriving in Silicon Valley, head coach Jamie Craighead was the youngest coach in the nation when she took over at Sacramento State in 2009.
Team Average Age (In Years)
North Dakota State: 30
UNLV: 30
Arkansas State: 31.5
Utah State: 31.5
San José State: 32.5
LONG LAYOFF
25 days between games marks the longest in-season layoff in program hisotry, topping the previous highs of 17 days.
Layoff Duration Dates First Result Upon Return
25 days 11/26/20 - 12/20/20 TBD
17 days 12/11/89 - 12/27/89 Win (75-55 vs. Santa Clara)
17 days 12/14/85 - 12/30/85 Loss (60-45 at Santa Clara)
16 days 12/12/90 - 12/27/90 Loss (80-71 vs. Portland State)
14 days 12/15/87 - 12/28/87 Loss (86-47 vs. Duke)
JUST 2020 THINGS
In 40 years of NCAA basketball, this marks the earliest start to conference play (in number of games played) for a San José State team.
ABOUT ARIZONA
San José State has played nine games in the 48th state throughout the program's history, most recently facing No. 16 Arizona State in 2016 when current assistant coach Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt was on staff with the Sun Devils. Monday's contest will mark the program's first-ever game in the city of Phoenix (have previously played in Flagstaff, Tempe and Tucson).
IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
The Spartans have dominated in their recent conference openers, winning five of their last six and seven of nine dating back to the 2011-12 campaign. They opened up Mountain West play a year ago against this same Utah State program, defeating the Aggies 76-61 in Logan.
FINAL (FORTY) FOUR
San José State is one of just 44 unbeatens among Division I teams that have started their 2020-21 seasons.
SUCCESS IN A SEASON-OPENER
SJSU's Nov. 25 victory at California marked the program's first win in a season-opener since the 2015-16 campaign (92-78 vs. Southern Oregon). The 48 points scored by the Golden Bears were the fewest for a Spartan opponent in a season-opener since 2004 (46 - Sacramento State).
SINCE BACK WHEN IT WAS THE PAC-10
San José State's win over the Golden Bears marked the program's first victory over a Pac-12 opponent since back when the conference was named the Pac-10 (68-66 at No. 22 California - Dec. 9, 2009).
WHITEHEAD NAMED COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS MW PLAYER OF THE WEEK
San José State may have only played one game this year, but that was all senior Tyra Whitehead needed to make an early impression. The forward was named the Mountain West Player of the Week by College Sports Madness on Nov. 30 after scoring 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in the team's road win at California.
A HISTORIC DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Tyra Whitehead's double-double at California marked the program's first double-double against a power conference opponent in 16 years. The last Spartan to accomplish the feat was Amber Jackson, who totaled 18 points and 15 rebounds in a 66-60 loss at Mississippi State on Dec. 19, 2004.
WINNING TIME
SJSU is 25-0 in its last 25 games when holding a lead with five minutes remaining. Most recently, San José State led California 48-43 with five minutes to play (won 56-48).
NO ONE BETTER FROM THE STRIPE
San José State enters Monday's game as the nation's leader in free throw percentage. Point guard Ayzhiana Basallo is tied for first nationally on the indivudal side, going 8-for-8 from the line so far this season.
Rank/Team Free Throw %
T1. San José State: 100%
T1. Robert Morris: 100%
3. Northeastern: 88.9%
4. Alabama A&M: 85.7%
5. BYU: 86.1%
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS (AND THE BALL)
San José State currently ranks No. 2 nationally in turnovers per game.
Rank/Team Turnovers Per Game
1. Alabama A&M 5.0
2. San José State 8.0
T3. South Dakota 9.8
T3. Wyoming 9.8
5. Ohio State 10.2
NOT BAD FOR STARTERS
Senior Courtesy Clark has made six career starts with SJSU going 5-1 in those six games. The forward started and played 18 minutes in last month's season-opener, grabbing seven rebounds while scoring six points.
CRASH THE GLASS
San José State currently ranks No. 2 nationally in offensive rebounds per game. Senior Courtesy Clark is slotted eighth in the country individually at 5.0 offensive rebounds per game.
Rank/Team Offensive Rebounds Per Game
1. Kennesaw State 22.0
2. San José State 21.0
3. South Florida 20.2
4. Sam Houston State 19.8
5. Delaware 19.3
IT'S A DRY HEAT
The Spartan women's basketball program has relocated its day-to-day operations to the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa due to the current public health directives in Santa Clara County. Each member of the team will continue to be tested regularly for COVID-19 while in Phoenix. While in the desert, the coaches, student-athletes and staff members will be in as controlled an environment as possible while getting the opportunity to host games against conference opponents.
THE STREAK THAT WILL NOT END (HOPEFULLY)
San José State has scored in 1,120 consecutive games since the NCAA began sponsoring women's basketball.
SPARTANS IN THE NEWS
Be sure to bookmark our clips and links page for all of the latest San José State women's basketball coverage.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEDIA INFORMATION
For any information concerning Mountain West basketball, contact Theresa Kurtz, Associate Director of Strategic Communications. Mountain West information is also available online at www.themw.com.
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 by grabbing your Cardboard Cutout today. If interested, follow this link to register!