Sophomore guards Annika Shah and Jazzy Anousinh combined for 26 points to help Cal Poly women's basketball finish off the Holiday Beach Classic with a 62-53 victory over San Jose State on Saturday inside Mott Athletics Center.
The Mustangs (3-4) shot 50 percent from behind the 3-point line (8 of 16) and Shah led the way with four triples. Anousinh poured in 10 points and dished out a team-high three assists. Shah finished with 16 points, a day after posting a career-high 17 in a 70-62 loss to Sacramento State to open the Holiday Beach Classic on Friday.
Senior guard Maddie Willett (pictured above) tallied 9 points and four rebounds, and senior forward Julia Nielacna added 9 points. Junior forward Natalia Ackerman grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
The Cal Poly defense held San Jose State without a 3-pointer (0 of 8) in the game.
Trailing by 15 points entering the fourth quarter, the Spartans (1-5) pulled within four points (55-51) with 1:20 left to make things interesting down the stretch and force a Cal Poly timeout.
But the Mustangs responded, knocking down 7 of their 8 free throws in the final minute and forcing two San Jose State turnovers to close out their second home win of the season.
"Part of our process is learning to play with a substantial lead the way that we did," first-year head coach Shanele Stires said after the game. "I think that's new for our program, that's new for our girls … but the fact that we were able to kind of stave off their run I think speaks to the grit, determination and character of our team, and I'm really proud of the girls. I think they've shown a lot of growth in a short amount of time."
Cal Poly jumped out to a 18-9 first-quarter lead and ended the frame on a 12-3 run. The Mustangs extended their advantage to double digits for most of the second quarter and carried a 32-23 lead into halftime.
The Mustangs continued to separate themselves from SJSU in the third quarter, building a game-high 18-point lead with 1:28 left in the frame on a free throw by Anousinh.
Cal Poly shot 14 for 19 (73.7 percent) from the free-throw line, while the Spartans knocked down 15 of their 28 attempts (53.6 percent).
The Mustangs get a two-week break before returning to action on Saturday, Dec. 10, to host Northern Arizona at Mott Athletics Center. Tip is set for 2 p.m.
"I think we have some momentum heading into a two-week stretch where we can focus on ourselves," Stires said, "and take what we've learned from what I think has been a pretty challenging preseason and really get better and improve."
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