Spring Break
Women's basketball team battles through 10-game losing streak
David Zugnoni
Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: Sports
The season-long struggles of the SJSU women's basketball team continued Saturday at the Event Center with a 70-54 loss to the University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine, who had an answer for everything the Spartans threw at them.
The Spartans' defense frustrated Hawaii's guards through the entire first half but couldn't prevent some easy baskets by Hawaii centers Tanya Smith and Iwona Zagrobelna, who combined for 18 points in the first half, forcing the Spartans to change from a zone to a man-to-man defense.
"We were just letting them score at will," said SJSU guard Natalie White. "We made those adjustments not as well as we probably should have, but we tried to minimize it a little bit."
The Spartans tied the game 32-32 by halftime, however, thanks to 13 first-half points from White, eight from forward Brittany Powell, and overall scrappy play.
But the Spartans were outscored 38-22 and out-rebounded 33-10 in the second half as the Rainbow Wahine responded to SJSU's defensive adjustments with sharp outside shooting, including three 3-pointers from forward Megan Tinnin, who led Hawaii with 18 points, 15 of which came in the second half.
Tinnin also trumped any hope of a Spartan comeback when she intercepted a pass by SJSU freshman Christine Martin and converted it into an uncontested layup to put the Rainbow Wahine ahead 65-51 with 3:54 left in the game.
Natalie White led all scorers with 19 points. Sayja Sumler recorded 10 points and Brittany Imaku led the team with six assists to go along with seven points and three steals.
Season Summary
In their first year under head coach Pam DeCosta, the Spartans are 1-16, with a 0-4 record in Western Athletic Conference games.
SJSU senior point guard Brittany Imaku said that improved effort and heart are what the team needs in order to tally some wins before the WAC tournament, which begins March 11.
"We gotta want to play basketball," she said. "We've all been playing basketball since we were five. We need to go back and find out, 'Do we really love it?' That's the bottom line."
SJSU's most convincing points against Hawaii were not scored on pretty jump shots or well-crafted plays, but on aggression and will: a strong put-back by Natalie White, a drive to the hoop by Myosha Barnes and a full-court sprint and layup by Imaku.
Imaku, one of only two seniors on the team, showed leadership Saturday, directing her teammates on both sides of the ball and shouting "Nothing!" to Hawaii's guards as they sought alternatives to dribbling around her.
Five minutes into the game, she also appeared to hurt her ankle while scrambling for a loose ball, but followed the incident with a bounce pass that led to a Natalie White layup. Imaku left the game shortly thereafter and returned with 7:30 to play in the first half.
"She goes out and she works hard, and that's all we can ask her to do," said assistant coach John Langston. "She's a heart-and-soul player, and we depend on her a lot."
Imaku leads the WAC in assists with 4.4 per game. Natalie White leads the Spartans with 15.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
The Spartans' defense frustrated Hawaii's guards through the entire first half but couldn't prevent some easy baskets by Hawaii centers Tanya Smith and Iwona Zagrobelna, who combined for 18 points in the first half, forcing the Spartans to change from a zone to a man-to-man defense.
"We were just letting them score at will," said SJSU guard Natalie White. "We made those adjustments not as well as we probably should have, but we tried to minimize it a little bit."
The Spartans tied the game 32-32 by halftime, however, thanks to 13 first-half points from White, eight from forward Brittany Powell, and overall scrappy play.
But the Spartans were outscored 38-22 and out-rebounded 33-10 in the second half as the Rainbow Wahine responded to SJSU's defensive adjustments with sharp outside shooting, including three 3-pointers from forward Megan Tinnin, who led Hawaii with 18 points, 15 of which came in the second half.
Tinnin also trumped any hope of a Spartan comeback when she intercepted a pass by SJSU freshman Christine Martin and converted it into an uncontested layup to put the Rainbow Wahine ahead 65-51 with 3:54 left in the game.
Natalie White led all scorers with 19 points. Sayja Sumler recorded 10 points and Brittany Imaku led the team with six assists to go along with seven points and three steals.
Season Summary
In their first year under head coach Pam DeCosta, the Spartans are 1-16, with a 0-4 record in Western Athletic Conference games.
SJSU senior point guard Brittany Imaku said that improved effort and heart are what the team needs in order to tally some wins before the WAC tournament, which begins March 11.
"We gotta want to play basketball," she said. "We've all been playing basketball since we were five. We need to go back and find out, 'Do we really love it?' That's the bottom line."
SJSU's most convincing points against Hawaii were not scored on pretty jump shots or well-crafted plays, but on aggression and will: a strong put-back by Natalie White, a drive to the hoop by Myosha Barnes and a full-court sprint and layup by Imaku.
Imaku, one of only two seniors on the team, showed leadership Saturday, directing her teammates on both sides of the ball and shouting "Nothing!" to Hawaii's guards as they sought alternatives to dribbling around her.
Five minutes into the game, she also appeared to hurt her ankle while scrambling for a loose ball, but followed the incident with a bounce pass that led to a Natalie White layup. Imaku left the game shortly thereafter and returned with 7:30 to play in the first half.
"She goes out and she works hard, and that's all we can ask her to do," said assistant coach John Langston. "She's a heart-and-soul player, and we depend on her a lot."
Imaku leads the WAC in assists with 4.4 per game. Natalie White leads the Spartans with 15.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
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