Spartans face tough task at Boise State

By Sara Biela — Executive Editor

In the first of its two-game road trip, San Jose State (1-12, 0-2 MW) heads to Idaho to face two-time reigning Mountain West champion Boise State (11-2, 2-0 MW) on Saturday.

Coming off a tough three-point loss to Nevada, the Spartans look to carry the momentum into Taco Bell Arena against one of three teams still undefeated in conference play.

The Broncos come in with an impressive 44.2 shooting percentage, while holding opponents to 38.2 percent. Redshirt junior forward A’Shanti Coleman leads all starters shooting 52.4 percent.

Freshman forward Rachel Bowers will be a threat coming off the bench as she tops the team with a 52.6 shooting percentage.

Junior guards Riley Lupfer and Braydey Hodgins will also be players to look out for as they lead BSU with 36 and 27 made 3-pointers. They also top in averaging 13.1 and 10.9 points per game, respectively.

It’ll be crucial for SJSU to execute on shots, as well as limiting the turnovers and bringing down the rebounds.

Sophomore forward Cydni Lewis leads the Spartans with 68 total rebounds, so it’ll be important for her to help limit second-chance opportunities.

San Jose State will also look to have a bounce-back game behind the 3-point line. In the contest against Nevada, the first made 3 wasn’t drained until 2:28 left in the first half.

Guards Analyss Benally and Megan Anderson will seek to bounce back after off performances. The junior and sophomore lead the team with 24 and 22 made 3’s, respectively.

In last season’s lone matchup, the Broncos set a new program record in scoring in a conference game with a 112-80 victory at the Event Center. This time around, it will be a much bigger challenge playing in a tougher Taco Bell Arena.

Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m.

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