Nevada won its first-ever road game against Fresno State, while San Jose State captured its first conference win of the season with a win over Hawai`i at home on Thursday.
San Jose State 57, Hawai`i 56
A career-high 11 points by Jaime Hall, including the game-winning basket with just 17 seconds remaining lifted the San Jose State University women’s basketball team to its first Western Athletic Conference win of the season, 57-56, over the University of Hawai’i on Thursday, January 25.
The triumph was the Spartans’ first at home inside The Event Center this season, and came despite a 16-point first-half deficit.
With her father, George Hall, in attendance on his birthday, Hall reached double figures in scoring for the first time in her collegiate career. The sophomore center, one of two Spartans to have started all 21 games thus far this season, scored her 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field in 20 minutes of action.
Nevada 68, Fresno State 61
Traci Graham scored 18 points and Dellena Criner had a double-double to lead Nevada to a historic 68-61 victory over Fresno State on Thursday night at the Save Mart Center.The win the first-ever for the Wolf Pack on Fresno State’s home court as Nevada entered the game 0-13 all-time at Fresno State.
Dellena Criner recorded her first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds as Nevada improved to 12-8 overall and 6-1 in the Western Athletic Conference. The victory keeps Nevada in sole possession of second place in the WAC and runs the Wolf Pack’s win streak to five in a row.
The five-game win streak is the longest of the season for Nevada and the longest overall since a five-streak during the 2002-03 season. Nevada led by as many as 12 points in the second but Fresno State, led by a gritty 33-point effort by Chantella Perera, cut the margin to as few as five points down the stretch. But Criner and the Pack buried their free throws and pulled out the win.
The Wolf Pack recorded 13 steals and forced 22 turnovers by the Bulldogs.