Aikman Fang (@AikmanFang) – SJSU women’s basketball Beat Reporter
San Jose State women’s basketball (3-17, 1-8 MW) came up short in a 74-67 loss to Nevada (8-12, -4 MW) on Thursday night inside the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
The Wolf Pack started the game red hot, making five of their first seven shots and led 11-6.
The Spartans bounced back by closing the first quarter on a 6-0 run and only trailed 18-16.
SJSU forced Nevada to commit seven turnovers in the opening period but was only able to generate two points off those turnovers.
The Spartans’ defense found better success in the second quarter, creating 11 points off the Wolf Pack’s nine turnovers in the period.
SJSU led Nevada 37-35 at the end of the first half.
Both fifth-year senior guard Aarion Nichols and senior guard Jada Holland led the Spartans with seven points each at the intermission.
SJSU started the third quarter ice-cold, only making one of their first five shots.
The Wolf Pack ended the third quarter with a 53-50 lead after forcing the Spartans to commit seven turnovers in the period.
Nevada carried its momentum with a 9-0 run and extended their lead to 62-50 with 7:52 left in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, SJSU’s offensive struggles continued as it missed its first five shots to start the fourth quarter and finished the second half shooting 9-29 from the field.
The Wolf Pack shot an efficient 7-9 in the final period but also committed nine turnovers and shot a subpar 5-12 from the free throw line.
Junior point guard Victoria Davis led Nevada to a 74-67 win with 12 of her career-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.
Four SJSU women’s basketball players finished the game with double-digits in scoring.
Holland led the Spartans with 15 points, four steals, and three assists.
Mountain West Freshman of the Week Sabrina Ma provided 12 points and three steals off 2-6 shooting.
Nichols recorded 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
“We started turning the ball over in the third quarter, some careless passing and we just didn’t do enough to bring it home,” said head coach April Phillips.
SJSU women’s basketball heads down south to face San Diego State (17-5, 7-2 MW) next at the Viejas Arena on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
