Women’s Basketball at San Jose State Preview

by Zach

After a much needed win on Wednesday against USU, the Lobos (12-10, 5-6) head to San José, California to take on the San José State Spartans (9-14, 7-5) in a key Mountain West game. The Spartans are in fourth place at the moment and the Lobos are in seventh place, but with a Lobo win they will be a half game behind SJSU and would have the season tiebreaker. In their first meeting in Albuquerque, the Lobos were able to control the game from the opening tip, outscoring SJSU 22-6 in the first quarter alone. The Lobos ended up winning the game 71-57, with Cherise Beynon and Khadijah Shumpert combining for 33 points and 19 rebounds. The Lobos also held SJSU to 27.4% shooting, which is well below their season average. Since the first meeting, the two teams have gone in completely different directions, as SJSU has won three straight with their last loss being a two-point loss to league favorite CSU. The Lobos, on the other hand, were on a four game losing streak before knocking off USU in the final minute of the game on Wednesday. It is very important for the Lobos to keep SJSU from playing their style of game, just like they did in the first meeting between these teams. They will also look to limit the threes SJSU make during the game, which was a big factor during the first game, as SJSU was only 3-20 from the three-point line.

As a side note, this year marks the third year in the conference for SJSU and the Lobos have made a trip to San José every year. However, this is only the second time they will be playing in The Event Center, the home court for the SJSU basketball teams. That’s because two years ago, the game had to be played at a junior college in the area because The Event Center was holding a Fresh Beats Band concert. It hasn’t mattered where they’ve played in the past two years, as the Lobos are 2-0 with two close wins in San José, but hopefully today they make it 2-0 in The Event Center.

SJSU Spartans

The Spartans are led by third year Head Coach Jamie Craighead and are coming off a 15-17 season, in which they finished Mountain West play at 7-11. Last season, they lost the lone meeting with Lobos, a 64-62 contest at the Event Center. Coach Craighead was the head coach of early season foe Sacramento State for few years where she implemented the fast-pace style that both teams play with. This season, the Lobos have done a great job against this style of play by not getting caught in a three-point shooting contest or by playing extremely fast-paced. Because of that, the Lobos have been able to win the games against Sacramento State and SJSU fairly easily.

As mentioned in the preview for the first meeting against SJSU, they are led by Weber State transfer Dezz Ramos. She is averaging a very impressive 19 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game from the guard position. Where Ramos is most dangerous is shooting the three-pointer (39%) and at the free throw line (84.8%). If the Lobos want to win this big road game, their defense needs to be able to limit the impact that Ramos has on this game. In the first meeting, the Lobos limited her to 6-21 shooting and she didn’t hit a three-pointer in the game. If the Lobos are able to do the same in this game, I really like their chances of winning this game.

Team Stat Comparison

  • Points Per Game: Lobos 62.8; Spartans 73.7
  • Points Allowed Per Game: Lobos 59.8; Spartans 75.1
  • Field Goal Percentage: Lobos 37.3%; Spartans 38.6%
  • Three Point Percentage: Lobos 28.4%; Spartans 31.2%
  • Free Throw Percentage: Lobos 64.9%; Spartans 68.8%
  • Defensive Field Goal Percentage: Lobos 37.5%; Spartans 40.9%
  • Defensive Three Point Percentage: Lobos 31.4%; Spartans 34.3%
  • Rebounds Per Game: Lobos 40.5; Spartans 40.7
  • Assists Per Game: Lobos 13.6; Spartans 14.4
  • Turnovers Per Game: Lobos 15.2; Spartans 15.8
  • Turnovers Forced Per Game: Lobos 17.4; Spartans 17.3

Matchup to Watch

The matchup to watch this game is between the Lobo guards as a unit and Dezz Ramos. If the Lobos are able to slow down Ramos, it would make it where other players from SJSU would have to step up and win the game for the Spartans, which would give the Lobos an advantage. However, if Ramos is able to have her way and control the pace of play, it could be a long day for the Lobos.

Picks

After a good Wednesday night, where I went 3-2 on my picks, I am now 45-19 in MW Picks this season. Here are my picks for Saturday’s action:

UNM at SJSU

FSU vs Nevada

BSU at WYO

SDSU at AFA

CSU vs UNLV

Conference Standings

  • CSU 11-0
  • FSU 9-2
  • BSU 9-3
  • SJSU 7-5
  • UNLV 6-6
  • USU 6-6
  • UNM 5-6
  • WYO 4-8
  • Nevada 3-8
  • SDSU 3-9
  • AFA 1-11

Prediction

The outcome of this game will be decided by which team is able to play their style of basketball. While SJSU is playing well right now, the Lobos have shown the ability to control a game against SJSU this year. I put the odds of the Lobos winning at 51% in what should be a very entertaining game. I predict a final score of 67-65, with the Lobos winning.

Game Info

Who: New Mexico (12-10, 5-6) vs. SJSU (9-14, 7-5)

Where: The Event Center, San José, California

When: Saturday February 13, 3 PM MT

Radio: 610 AM

Stream: Campus Insiders