By Zack Siedel – Spear Reporter | The Spartans huddle up in their exhibition vs. Lincoln on Oct. 30. (Photo by Iber Moreno – The Spear)
San Jose State women’s basketball team (2-1) dominated against San Francisco State (1-2) in a lopsided 92-65 victory Tuesday night at home.
Both the offense and defense for SJSU came out of the gates hot, as the Spartans’ defense only allowed 12 points in the first quarter and scored 29 points on a 57% field goal percentage (12-21).
The Spartans’ early scoring success was largely because of senior center Finau Tonga’s 10 first-quarter points and snatching two-early rebounds.
Tonga showed she is the dominant force she has been through the first three games of the season, scoring 22 points on 10 attempts, nine rebounds, and one assist.
“With passing, (my teammates) were leading me to the basket,” Tonga said. “Not only that, they were getting offensive boards, so I wouldn’t have gotten those points without my guards.”
The first quarter told the story of how the rest of the game was going to turn out on both sides of the ball.
The Spartans scored 58 of their 92 points in the paint and also outscored the Gators 26-6 with their bench players.
The Spartans’ 43 rebounds compared to SFU’s 32 led to multiple second-chance points and lots of great scoring opportunities on offense.
“We have depth this season which is something we worked on in the offseason,” SJSU head coach April Phillips said. “We talk about ‘Next man up’ at any given time and making sure that everyone’s coming and getting better regardless if they play 40 minutes in one game or zero.”
SJSU’s defense held SFSU to m 35.8% from the field, eight second-chance points and had nine steals on the night.
SJSU sophomore guard Rylei Waugh spoke on the team’s defensive success on the night and how it also led to good opportunities on offense.
“I just think coming out pressing, trapping and getting to the ball really helps to put pressure on their guards which is why we were forcing turnovers and it also helped us offensively,” Waugh said.
This game was a huge step forward for the Spartans after a near 30-point loss to California in their previous matchup.
SJSU now has some positive momentum on its side as the team is scheduled to travel to UC Santa Barbara for the Spatrtans next game at 2 p.m. Sunday.
