By Andrew Hartley (@andrewhart1ey) – Spear Reporter
SJSU’s Amhyia Moreland (right) walking by a perplexed Khylee Pepe (left) after getting a foul call on Feb. 10, 2024. I Photo by Andrew Hartley
As the clock struck zero and the buzzer sounded, freshman guard Sydni Summers emerged from a double team and broke down. San Jose State needed a basket for its first win since Jan. 6 against Utah State.
Instead, heartbreak struck the Spartans as they dropped their ninth-straight game, this time to San Diego State 63-62.
With Summers hiding her emotions in the face of her jersey and another hand on her knee, center Finau Tonga emerged from the bench. The senior went straight for Summers and guided her to a standing position and wiped off the tears with her own sweatshirt.
“It hurts. Geez it hurts. But that’s how it should feel when you put everything into it,” SJSU head coach April Phillips said after the Spartans’ Feb. 10 loss to SDSU.
The Spartans now have another opportunity to defeat SDSU. Only this time, it’s win or go home in round one of the Mountain West Tournament Sunday at 4:30 p.m. An ever confident Aztecs team has already posted that it’ll play New Mexico after the Spartans on its athletics website.
But there’s many things the Spartans can do to stop that from happening. Heck, they were a rebound away from defeating them in their last matchup. But let’s get into how an upset happens,
1. Feed Amyhia Moreland
Amyhia Moreland has had 18 points in both appearances against SDSU, and the second time happened despite fouling out. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times now? Moreland has been the Spartans most consistent offensive weapon this season so it might seem dumb to mention getting her the ball. But SJSU has been known to get 3-happy at points this season so relying on Moreland should be an emphasis.
The best the Aztecs, or anyone, have been able to do to stop Moreland is fronting her entry passes. San Jose State guards have had difficulty all season getting the ball past this defensive scheme.
“We’re trying to look for (Amyhia) or our post players in this game specifically because we know we have the size advantage,” sophomore guard Sofia Kelemeni said after the second SDSU loss.
Lately, Moreland has been getting more touches at the elbow and has been able to hit mid-range jumpers with defenders sagging off. This eliminates the defender’s ability to front and have another player help. Rather getting the ball directly into Moreland’s hands and letting work from there. In the Spartans’ loss against Utah State, Moreland was drawn up to get the final shot of the game on a mid-range look. Whether the touches are at the high or low post, Moreland can be effective with them. It’s just a matter of will she get them and how long can she stay in the game foul wise.
2. Limit the turnovers now more than ever
Out of 349 Division-I programs in the nation, San Jose State ranks 340th in turnovers averaging 20.2 per game. This actually increases to 20.5 in conference-only games. It’s difficult when your best playmaker has been out the entire season. It’s amplified when you only have one true point guard and another learning the position out of necessity through the season. But it’s made it work. The Spartans only had 13 turnovers in its most recent victory against Colorado State. If there’s two areas San Jose State needs to be most cautious about, it’s passing the ball down low and beating the full-court press. As just mentioned above, the fronting defensive scheme has troubled the Spartans this season and thrown possessions because of it. But it’s the full-court press that the Spartans cannot let beat them like it has before. Air Force has proven in both its games that it’s the easiest way to defeat them. SJSU combined for 70 turnovers in its two games against Air Force. So Kelemeni and Summers will have their hands full because the Aztecs are aware it’s a strategy that works.
3. Play the full 40 minutes of SJSU basketball
You save the best for last right. San Jose State and Phillips are aware of its position. Tied for last in the conference. The team is still undergoing a rebuild, it happens. But the message Phillips has sung all season long is the high-energy effort that should be present no matter what.
“Give everything you have for 40 minutes and being locked in on the game plan,” Phillips said after the Colorado State win.
Those are the results that effort can net. It was evident in the second SDSU game, just a rebound away from sealing it.
The season has seen many bad first quarters and then a shift to solve that problem. Coming out with the necessary energy, the non-basketball things. In the same game against SDSU, its 3-2 zone worked wonders against the team who shoots the fewest number of 3-pointers in the conference. While the Spartans aren’t the best at shooting, the defensive tenacity was evident in contesting its shots, 5 for 21 from downtown.
Sabrina Ma and Alani Fluker are largely the energy propellers of the team and when they’re up, everyone’s up. Tonga and Jasmine Singleton travel with the team even on the road despite not playing and give the young team its necessary veteran leadership. The energy is different inside the Event Center when these close games or these wins happen, the viewer can feel the energy. It’s a matter of will that energy be present in Sunday’s matchup.
“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,” Phillips said.
She’s already had success in March for San Jose State in her one-year tenure. Upsetting Air Force in 2023 from the 10 seed, where they’ve conveniently finished again.
San Diego State is a great matchup for SJSU. Can the Spartans make it two years in a row where postseason play is their time? We’ll all have to find out Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
“Being the underdog is probably one of the best things,” Jyah LoVett said back in January. “We know what our team can be and will be, it’s just a matter of time.”