By Andrew Hartley(@andrewhart1ey) – Spear Reporter
Amhyia Moreland(left), Sofia Kelemeni(second to left), and Sabrina Ma(second to right) embracing Jyah LoVett(right) after scoring a difficult and-one at the rim. l Photo by Andrew Hartley – The Spear
In Saturday’s game against Utah State, Phillips finally got a glimpse of what a healthier lineup would look like. 10 players contributed to SJSU’s(6-8, 1-1 MW) first Mountain West win of the season in a 69-54 effort over the Aggies(3-11, 0-3 MW).
For more than a month, SJSU head coach April Phillips had the task of juggling rotations with just eight players. Crossing her fingers no one got injured or into early foul trouble.
“We just dug in but it wasn’t a perfect game by any means,” said Phillips.
All Spartan guards had flamethrowers, shooting an absurd 45 percent from three. Jyah LoVett and Sydni Summers both made three along with Sabrina Ma making two. Coming into the game, their season average was 33 percent.
LoVett once again led the team with 21 points and generated three steals.
SJSU defensively was great forcing 22 turnovers and allowing the Aggies to shoot 31 percent from the field. Those turnovers allowed players like LoVett to run in the open floor to score 23 points off turnovers.
“We’re learning how to handle those moments of momentum shifts,” said Phillips. “I thought we did enough to keep the lead and get the win.”
The 22 bench points Marisa Davis-Jones and Summers combined for tied SJSU’s bench point total from the previous two games combined. While Davis-Jones will most likely find herself back in the starting lineup, the option of having that depth is something the team has craved.
The return of Semaj Smith gave the Spartans another center and allowed Amhyia Moreland to return to her normal minutes structure. Moreland would lead the team with eight rebounds and two blocks in just 21 minutes.
Coach Phillips remains undefeated(3-0) against Utah State in her SJSU coaching career.
“It’s not easy to play here so you take every win and run with it,” said Phillips.
The Spartans surrendered 28 free-throw attempts to the Aggies and fortunately did not suffer. Playing UNLV in their next game, they’ll have to be more cautious as they shoot a conference best 82 percent from the free-throw line. UNLV came into the year as the preseason favorite to win the conference. That contest will take place in Las Vegas on Jan. 10 at 6:30 p.m.