By: Marilyn Anye (@_marilynbride) – Spear Reporter – San Jose State senior guard Katarina Anderson dribbles past Colorado State defenders during a 67–44 loss on March 3. (Photo by Gabriella Kelly – Spear photographer)
During Senior Night, the San Jose State women’s basketball team (4-27, 2-18 MW) fell 67-44 to Colorado State (24-7, 15-5 MW) in its final home game of the season.
With senior guards Katarina Anderson and McKenna Simons in the starting lineup for their final home appearance, the Spartans entered the game with energy before the Rams answered with a decisive first-quarter run.
The Rams built a 23-6 lead in the opening period and controlled the tempo from there, keeping the Spartans at a distance.
“I give Colorado State a ton of credit,” SJSU head coach Jonas Chatterton said. “They really attacked us, and it got downhill, and we had a hard time guarding them off the dribble.”
SJSU showed improved effort during the second quarter, tightening defensively and competing more physically, but still trailed 39-19 at halftime.
Sophomore forward Kaliyah Dillard gave a defensive spark throughout the night, finishing with four steals and four rebounds to help create extra possessions for the Spartans.
“I thought we had pretty good effort across the board,” Chatterton said. “It’s just that scoring makes everything magnified when we can’t find production.”
Katarina acknowledged the emotional pressure of the night while trying to stay composed.
“It’s very emotional,” Katarina said. “But once the game gets going, you try to settle in and just play.”
Offensively, the Spartans struggled to produce consistently, shooting 29.3% from the field and 36.4% from the free-throw line.
“We’re having a hard time scoring,” Chatterton said. “Until we can find some scoring from somewhere, that’s what it’s going to look like.”
Redshirt sophomore guard Maya Anderson led the Spartans with 16 points and 15 rebounds, battling inside despite the deficit.
However, the Rams’ early surge forced the Spartans to chase the game, which resulted in stalling any consistent comeback effort.
Katarina expressed that the emotions of the night were strong from the start.
“It’s very emotional,” Katarina said. “We started strong with a lot of high energy, but we also felt rushed because of all the emotions.”
As the spark dimmed, Katarina Anderson highlighted that the team remained vocal but struggled to execute in key moments.
“A lot of people were saying, ‘We need to get a bucket,’” Anderson said. “But I think we were so desperate to get a bucket that we fell short on the little things.”
Chatterton praised his seniors for the environment they helped establish within the program.
“The seniors are selfless,” Chatterton said. “Kat, McKenna and Amira are selfless kids who have given to the program and have given what they’ve got.”
Chatterton added that the impact they’ve given went beyond the box score.
“They’ve helped establish a culture of having great people in the gym,” Chatterton said. “They’ve continued to show up every day, even when it hasn’t worked out the way we want.”
SJSU will compete in the Mountain West Tournament on Saturday, March 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
