By Jarra Gojolo — Content Editor
These won’t be the last awards these players bring home.
Sophomore guard Ayzhiana Basallo was named Mountain West Newcomer of the Year on Sunday.
Basallo, who transferred from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2018, averaged nearly 19 points and five assists per game. She established herself as a weapon early in the season, scoring 20 points in eight of her first 10 games.
In addition to her individual honor, Basallo was selected to the all-conference team. Her 17 points per game against Mountain West competition and free throw percentage of 92.6 both led the conference.
Fellow transfer Tyra Whitehead won an All-Conference Honorable Mention, averaging almost 14 points and 10 rebounds per game. She recorded the first 20 point, 20 rebound game for the Spartans since Lora Alexander 30 years ago.
Basallo and Whitehead are the first SJSU women’s basketball players to win a Mountain West award since Dezz Ramos received an all-conference selection in 2017. They don’t have any time to celebrate the award, however, because they have a matchup against UNLV to prepare for.
Basallo is averaging 15 points in her games against the tournament’s hosts. She scored the game-winning basket against the Rebels in their first matchup of the season, while Whitehead put up one of her countless double-doubles in the Spartans’ 76-63 win on Thursday.
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