By Chris Estrada (@estradadotc ):
The San Jose State women’s basketball team will look to build momentum from beating Nevada when they face San Diego State on Saturday.
SJSU (7-19 4-11 MW) beat Nevada to snap an eight-game losing streak, while SDSU (10-16 4-11 MW) is coming off an 8-point loss to Air Force.
The Aztecs and Spartans rank eighth and ninth in the conference, respectively, so this game can have potential Mountain West seeding implications.
The Aztecs have lost three in a row and seven of their last eight. They are averaging 11 points in the first quarter during their three game skid, while SJSU is averaging 17 points in the first frame also in its last three contests. Putting up early points will be the key for the Spartans if they want to continue their winning streak.
These two teams last met on January 10th at the Event Center, where the Aztecs won 75-65. Senior Myzhanique Ladd lead the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds. As a team SJSU only shot for 29.6 percent.
SDSU shot 41 percent and never gave up the lead after the first quarter. Four players finished with double-digit points as senior Geena Gomez led the way with 21.
If there is anyone the Spartans need to stop it’s senior McKenzie Fort. She is among the leaderboards in the MW averaging 46.2 percent from the field and 16.2 points per game.
The Spartans aren’t afraid to let it fly from deep, but when they don’t fall, that’s a problem. Sophomore Analyss Benally leads the team with 56 3-pointers fifth best in MW conference. While freshman Megan Anderson has 34 just nine shy of Britta Hall’s SJSU freshman record set in 2013-2014.
Sophomore point guard Taylor Turney missed the game against Nevada during the week because of an ankle, but there is no word on if she will play today. Regardless, look for freshman Danae Marquez to get plenty of minutes in Turney’s place.
Tip-off is at 1 p.m.