By Keanu Haghighi (@KeanuHaghighi)
San Jose State women’s basketball looks to bounce back at home against Nebraska after a 48 point loss against No. 19 Oregon State.
The Spartans will need to clean up their play on the defensive side of the ball as they have given up 89 points per game against opponents. In addition, they have allowed over 100 points a game two times this year out of the nine games they have played.
Although SJSU averages four more points a game than Nebraska, the scoring margin between the two is a different story. The Cornhuskers are at +6.5 while the Spartans suffer from a -16.1 margin.
Rebounding will also be one of the keys for the Spartans to pull off the upset. Nebraska leads its opponents in rebounding margin by +5 while SJSU’s is -12.1.
A player the Spartans need to watch is Nebraska’s freshman guard Taylor Kissinger. Coming into the season she was rated the No. 38 high school player in the nation, according to ESPN. She has lived up to the hype as she leads the Cornhuskers in scoring (14 PPG) and 3 point field goal percentage (39.6%).
San Jose State will also need to play better interior offense and defense as it was outscored 62 to 24 in the painted area against Oregon State.
It will have its hands full trying to stop Nebraska’s six-foot-five center Kate Cain. She leads the team in field goal percentage, shooting 59% from the field and brings down on average seven boards per game. The Spartans will have to find a way to limit Cain’s success in the post if they want to have a shot at coming out victorious against Nebraska.
Tip off is on Sunday at 12 p.m. in the Event Center.