By Jonathan Cañas (@jonathancanas_) – Spear Reporter
Senior center Semaj Smith attempting a layup | Photo by Titus Wilkinson – The Spear
SJSU women’s basketball held the lead for the first 21 seconds after a bucket by junior forward Amhyia Moreland in its 71-64 loss to Cal State Fullerton.
The Spartans (4-5) were forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the game. The Titans (3-3) got off to a quick start, going 4-7 from beyond the arc in the first quarter.
Along with the excellent shooting in the first quarter, Titans freshman guard Hope Hassmann knocked in 10 of her game-high 17 points in the first half.
On the other side, Spartan senior center Semaj Smith dropped nine of her career-high 16 points in the first half to keep them at arm’s length. It was a 35-20 deficit going into the second half.
SJSU’s offense came out surging in the second half, outscoring Fullerton 44-36. The Spartans got the lead down to five in the fourth quarter at 61-56 with three minutes to go.
However, the Titans were able to capitalize on their free throws to extend the lead and kill any momentum the Spartans were gaining.
The Titans lived at the charity strike. They knocked down 15-22 free throws due to the Spartans picking up 24 personal fouls.
Aside from the free points, Fullerton was taking advantage of sloppy defense all night due to the attention Hassmann was receiving.
SJSU has plenty of positives to build off of. This was the first game back with junior forward Marisa Davis-Jones since Nov. 11 against Cal Poly.
Davis-Jones has the chance to play with an explosive offense with the recent rise of freshman guard Jyah Lovett. Lovett currently leads the team with 12 points per game.
SJSU continues its four-game road trip against the University of Hawaii on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m.