SJSU lets lead slip away in the fourth in loss to rival Fresno State

By Allison Covey (@allisoncovey)

Despite going over the 70-point mark for the first time in three weeks, the San Jose State women’s basketball team lost to Fresno State Wednesday night in Fresno, 81-71.

The Spartans (6-18, 3-9 MW) started out the game strong and even managed to outscore the Bulldogs (15-10, 10-4 MW) in the second and third quarters to give them a 61-59 lead heading into the final period.

“It was a tight one for most of the game,” head coach Jamie Craighead told SJSU Athletics. “A two-point game with six minutes to go. They made some shots that we didn’t.”

SJSU dominated the third frame by not allowing Fresno State to score a field goal for 6:28 as part of a 12-2 Spartans run.

In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs stepped up their defense which allowed them to outscore the Spartans 22-10 to close out the game. Reserve forward Kristina Cavey scored seven points in a row during the fourth quarter.

SJSU made just 4-of-9 free throws while Fresno State dominated their free throws by making 17-of-22.

During the first half, sophomore guard Taylor Turney scored 16 points and had four assists. She eventually finished with 22 points on 66 percent shooting, six assists and four rebounds.

Another Spartan to finish with a double-digit game was Myzhanique Ladd, who finished the game with 18 points to go along with six rebounds.

“Obviously at the end we missed a few that we needed to finish but I think that it was a good look for us to see where we can go with it in terms of playing teams with similar size,” Craighead said.

The next game for the Spartans will be against Wyoming on Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. in the Event Center.

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