Aikman Fang (@aikmanfang) – Women’s Basketball Beat Reporter
San Jose State women’s basketball (2-11, 0-2 MW) fell 73-62 to Boise State (6-8, 1-0) on Saturday afternoon at the ExtraMile Arena, despite almost coming back from a 20-point deficit.
Freshmen guard Dani Bayes led the Broncos to a 24-11 lead with nine points in the first quarter.
The Broncos extended their lead to 35-15 over the Spartans with three minutes left in the second quarter after a layup from graduate forward Mandy Simpson. This was Boise State’s largest lead of the day.
SJSU trailed 38-20 at the end of the first half.
Bayes led all scorers with a career-high 16 points at the intermission. She finished the game with 19 points.
Senior guard Jada Holland and fifth-year guard Aarion Nichols both led the Spartans with five points each in the first half.
SJSU bounced back and outscored Boise State 24-19 in the third quarter but still trailed 57-44 at the end of the period.
Sophomore forward Marisa Davis-Jones and Holland both led the Spartans with six points in the third quarter.
SJSU opened the fourth quarter with a 13-3 run and only trailed 62-59 after a layup from Nichols with two minutes left in the game.
The Broncos then made all six of their free throw attempts in the final minute to close out with a 72-63 win over the Spartans.
Three SJSU women’s basketball players finished with double-digits in scoring.
Holland had a team-high 13 points and five assists, while Davis-Jones provided 11 points and five rebounds.
Freshmen guard Sabrina Ma chipped in with 10 points off an efficient 4-6 shooting and 2-4 from beyond the arc.
SJSU women’s basketball looks to snap out of its three-game losing streak when it hosts Air Force next Thursday inside the Provident Credit Union Event Center. Tipoff is scheduled at 6 p.m.