By Ajah Yee (@ajah_yee ):
San Jose State’s women’s basketball team hung on for a 57-54 win against Nevada Wednesday night at the Event Center, snapping an eight-game skid.
The Spartans (7-19, 4-11 MW) led every step of the way, except for early in the fourth quarter when a Wolf Pack (12-14, 5-10 MW) three-pointer put Nevada on top 40-38.
SJSU led by as many as 16 in the first half thanks to its hungry defense and ability to gain extra possessions with hustle rebounds and loose balls.
“We won the hustle and the 50-50 battles,” said head coach Jamie Craighead after the win to SJSU Athletics.
Sophomore Analyss Benally led the team with 13 points while freshman Mikaylah Wilson added 10 points and five rebounds. Freshman Megan Anderson also led the team in rebounds with a career-high nine.
“Analyss scored on one end, and Megan got defensive rebounds … those two complemented each other really nicely,” Craighead said.
In the last three minutes, the teams played a close game fighting to take the lead, but Nevada’s Tiege Zellar missed a layup with 11 seconds left, giving the Spartans an advantage.
True freshman Danae Marquez increased her minutes substantially because of Turney’s absence with an ankle injury and did just enough to lead the Spartans.
With 11 seconds left, Marquez forced Nevada to tie the game with a three thanks to a clutch free throw, extending the lead to three. Nevada never got a clean look as SJSU clogged up the ball in the final possession.
The Spartans are now back in the win column for the first time since Jan. 13 and will look to build on it in San Diego as they face the rival Aztecs on Saturday.