Third quarter woes return in loss to Cowgirls

By Sara Biela — Executive Editor

Another game-deciding third quarter haunted San Jose State (1-16, 0-6 MW) once again as it fell to Wyoming (10-5, 3-3 MW) 70-56 Wednesday night at the Event Center.

Only down four points at the half, the Cowgirls started the third on a 10-2 that ultimately determined the momentum for the rest of the game.

“The third quarter kinda got us,” said head coach Jamie Craighead. “We had some missed layups, some opportunities to keep it close and they hit shots when we didn’t.”

SJSU got off to a slow start as it was down 22-12 after the first 10 minutes. However, the momentum shifted towards the Spartans in the second quarter.

The team shot 55 percent from the field, outscored Wyoming 19-11 and only saw themselves down by 4 points going into halftime.

“Moments like that are always a great feeling,” said freshman guard Raziya Potter. “We started to get back into the groove, so it’s a good thing to have every game.”

The moment didn’t last much longer as the Cowgirls shot 50 percent in the third to extend their lead back to 12. Wyoming went on to secure the 14-point victory.

The Spartans finished with a 37 shooting percentage, but only made 2-of7 3-pointers.

“We’re not very fluid on offense right now so when someone is open, we’re not finding them,” Craighead said. “We’re kind of turning it into 1-on-1 and it’s not really our game. I think we just missed out on a lot of opportunities by not moving the basketball.”

Senior forward Marta Gomez led all scorers with 20 points. Bailee Cotton recorded a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Forward Cydni Lewis led the Spartans with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Potter finished with 12 points, followed by Danae Marquez with 10.

“I’ve been struggling offensively, so shooting 50 percent from the field and getting 16 points helped my flow,” the sophomore said. “That’s a good set point for us going forward into the rest of the conference games.”

It’ll be a quick road trip for the Spartans as they head out to Colorado to face the Air Force Falcons on Saturday.

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