By Keanu Haghighi (@KeanuHaghighi):
SJSU women’s basketball (6-12, 3-4 MW) will try to get back into the win column as it gets ready to host the Boise State Broncos (11-8, 5-3 MW).
This game serves as a homecoming for both head coaches as Boise State coach Gordy Presnell will face off against his former assistant in Spartans coach Jamie Craighead. The two were on the same staff during their time at Seattle Pacific University.
The biggest discrepancy between these two squads are in rebounding. Boise State leads the Mountain West with a +7.1 rebounding margin while SJSU ranks last with a total rebounding margin of -9.8.
In the six Spartan victories this year, they have out rebounded the opposition by an average of a +4.2 margin. However, in the team’s losses, SJSU has been outrebounded by a -16.4 margin.
In other words, when the Spartans are active on the glass and out rebound the other team, they usually end up winning the game.
With the youngest team in the Mountain West, the Spartans are bound to make mistakes. As a result, they have been plagued by turnovers for a majority of the season. The team is averaging 17.9 turnovers a game with a margin of -1.67, which ranks last in the Mountain West.
However, the youth of SJSU has shown promise this year. Sophomore guard Taylor Turney is averaging 14.4 ppg (4th in the MW) and is coming off her season high (28 points) last game against Nevada.
Meanwhile, sophomore guard Analyss Benally is on track to set the program record for 3-pointers made in a season by a sophomore. She has nailed 41 3-pointers this season, good for 7th in the conference.
Tip off is set for 7 p.m. in the Event Center.