By Ernie Gonzalez (@superego1012):
The roller coaster week comes to an end Saturday for San Jose State (5-11, 2-3 MW) as they find themselves inside the Clune Arena this afternoon taking on Air Force (0-16, 0-5 MW).
After a statement of a win against New Mexico last Saturday and a shameful homecourt rivalry performance against San Diego State Wednesday night, the Spartans are due to show up against the Falcons.
The recipe to victory is pretty simple for SJSU. Outrebound the opponent, and it will be fine. In all five wins this year its crashed down the glass and won the battle on the boards. In all 11 losses this year, it was defeated in the category.
Although the Falcons haven’t won a game, the Spartans shouldn’t overlook their growing talent compared to prior seasons. Freshman scoring threat Kaelin Immel comes in carrying the team in points with a 15.2 game average, while senior forward Dee Bennett is averaging a block and six rebounds per contest.
Something Air Force lacks though is long-range shooting, as they have just a 27.4 percentage from beyond the arc. If the shots can fall from deep for SJSU and pressure the Falcons to catch up with the three ball, the outcome should favor the visitors.
A Player to watch for the Spartans is senior guard Myzhanique Ladd, who recently won Mountain West Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after her career performance in the upset win against the Lobos.
Ladd and sophomore guard Taylor Turney should take turns running the point tonight, but look for solid outings from the taller Spartans.
Two freshman down low Cydni Lewis and Mikaylah Wilson have twinned off each other and have both proven their abilities well. If the two of them can block shots and rebound consistently, the Spartans will be in good shape.
Tip off from the academy is at 12 p.m.