By Hector Roldan (@HectorRSJSU) – Spear Reporter
Head coach April Phillips recognizes her teams four seniors Alani Fluker, Mia Grizelj, Semaj Smith and Sophia Jones prior to the game. | Photo by Andrew Hartley – The Spear
San Jose State women’s basketball (7-22, 2-15 MW) took down Colorado State (18-10, 9-8 MW) 68-56 on senior night to end their regular season home play. This game ended the teams 14-game losing streak that dates back to Jan. 10.
SJSU started off strong out the gate as sophomore Sofia Kelemeni made back-to-back threes to start the Spartans 8-0 run in the first quarter. Kelemeni lead the offense, finishing with 16 points.
The Spartans limited the Rams to just eight made field goals in the first half as a zone-defense was strongly shown in this matchup.
“We wanted to play our best basketball for 40 minutes and play for one another,” Kelemeni said. “We play for one another and we showed how good of a team we can be.”
The Spartans came out of the locker room at halftime hot as they poured on 23 points in the third quarter thanks to shots from sophomore guard Sabrina Ma and Kelemeni.
San Jose State honored its four seniors at the game Sophia Jones, Alani Fluker, Semaj Smith and Mia Grizelj.
Smith only played eight minutes in the the game but scored 11 points and made her presence known for the Spartans. Fluker scored just two points in the game while grabbing six rebounds and was felt on the defensive end of the game.
“It feel amazing to come out with a bang and feels great to get that final win on our home court,” Fluker said. “I just show up as me every single day and I just want to be a leader for the team and leave them with positivity.”
For SJSU head coach April Phillips, this is by far one of her biggest wins in her two seasons as the Spartans head coach and she is always emphasizing on building a culture with her team.
“Give everything you have for 40 minutes and being locked in on the game plan today and just proud of them,” Phillips said. “What we’re continuing to do with this program is fight and build and at the end of the day you just have to continue showing up.”
SJSU looks to finish off its regular season on the road and look ahead towards the Mountain West tournament, it is essential that the Spartans continue to build off this big performance as the team looks to get its second MWC tournament win under Phillips.
“I love March,” Phillips said. “I think March brings us a different level of energy and because we have had a postseason win before, that feeling is worth fighting for.”
SJSU is scheduled to play at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday take on University of Nevada, Reno in the Spartans final regular season game at the Lawler Events Center.
