A’Tyanna Gaulden (Photo by Max Bechtoldt)
By Autumn Blue (@AutumnBlue3) – WBB Beat Reporter
San Diego State had a height advantage on San Jose State, making it very easy to just pass the ball right above the Spartans’ heads during Wednesday night’s game.
SJSU brought its taller players in, and was playing better against SDSU.
Senior guard A’Tyanna Gaulden, senior forward Cyndi Lewis, sophomore point guard Sophia Jones, senior forward Meghan Oberg and junior guard Ella Ogier were in the game the longest, keeping the height and the momentum with the Aztecs.
The Spartans started slow in the first quarter but in the last minute they got themselves to be a couple points behind the Aztecs ending the first quarter down 15-13, this was the closest first quarter score women’s basketball has had in awhile.
Gaulden reached double digits just by the beginning of the second quarter with 10 consecutive, helping the Spartans take an 18-15 lead.
The Spartans had 11 turnovers compared to Aztecs’ three but were still leading. SJSU was leading in rebounds 17-13 and had a 45% FG percentage compared to SDSU’s 35% at the half.
Gaulden was on fire in the first half, scoring 14 points on 6-7 shooting straight off the bench.
SJSU’s 12 turnovers started to cost them the game during the second quarter as SDSU scored in the final two seconds of the half taking the lead 34-32.
Oberg was a stallion defensively, using her height to keep SDSU’s senior guard Sophia Ramos from scoring on the Spartans.
Gaulden was the leading scorer for the Spartans with 22 points, making this her season high.
Spartans outscored Aztecs 15-5 third quarter making this the largest lead SJSU has had on a competitor in awhile 47-39. SJSU came up with 22 points during the third quarter, 10 of them by Ogier leading the Spartans into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was the battle of the 3-pointers. Both teams were back to back with attempts but SDSU’s junior guard Mallory Adams was not going down without a fight, brace on her leg and all, making 3-4 3-pointers in just the fourth quarter taking the lead from the Spartans 70-64.
Gaulden wasn’t present during the fourth quarter making a dramatic difference with the team’s dynamic missing their offensive rebounds ultimately letting Aztecs take the lead and run with it to the end 77-69.
SJSU is continuing on the road to Las Vegas, Nev. to play the UNLV Rebels on Saturday at 1 p.m.
