By Ernie Gonzalez (@superego1012):
For a San Jose State team that entered Saturday giving up 83.5 points per game, scoring six points in a quarter will almost always cost it a game.
That was the case for the Spartans (6-16, 3-8 MW) Saturday in the second quarter against the University of New Mexico (18-6, 6-5 MW), as the conference’s best scoring offense strung up a 22-6 quarter, never looking back in a 92-62 win.
The Spartans started slow, scoring just two buckets in the first 7:09 of the game, but bit back to cut it to four at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was the first one all over again after SJSU managed to only score two layups and a pair of free throws, which included a 6:17 scoring drought, sending the Spartans down 20 at the break.
Keep in mind this was the same Lobos team SJSU beat at home less than a month ago by nine, but did so by putting up points, something they were unable to do all game long Saturday.
Taylor Turney’s has officially hit her sophomore slump, as she is shooting 9-42 (21 percent) in her last four performances combined.
Turney’s position mate Myzhanique Ladd hasn’t been able to play her style of basketball either, at least on the offensive end with Turney struggling. Ladd has now made just three field goals in each of the last three games.
Beside Turney and Ladd, the Spartans are getting minimal help from anyone else, especially their frontcourt.
With the exception of sophomore Analyss Benally, who runs up and down the baseline and off of screens to find her shot behind the arc, there is no movement or threat down low SJSU has established.
Benally finished with 14 points in her home state of New Mexico, one short of tying her career best.
In other news for the Spartans, senior Hallie Gennett returned to action Saturday after sitting out the previous three games with a concussion.
Gennett played five minutes but did not score in Saturday’s contest. She is 40 points away from being the first SJSU women’s basketball player since Dezz Ramos to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
Spartans get a six-day break before returning to action next weekend against the Colorado State Rams.