Lauren RabainoSAN JOSE – Junior forward Megan Harrison’s 20-point, 13-rebound double-double and senior guard Sparkle Anderson’s 15-point contribution helped the Mustangs conquer the San Jose State Spartans in a 74-70 comeback Tuesday.
The Cal Poly women’s basketball team (1-1) led only once during the first half but they outscored the Spartans (0-2) 42-35, when it counted in the last 20 minutes of the contest.
Anderson, who came off the bench, fueled Cal Poly’s turnaround shooting 5-for-7 and scoring 12 in the second half. Harrison reached double-digit scoring figures for the seventh time in a row, carrying over from last season.
A Harrison layup shortly after tip-off resulted in Poly’s only lead of the half at 6-4. An 11-2 Spartan run quickly ensued and with four-and-a-half minutes on the clock, San Jose State led 33-24.
The Mustangs held the Spartans to 10 points in the next 14 minutes and then took a 45-43 lead following a bucket by senior guard Kyla Howell.
The Mustangs let their lead slip just once in the remainder of the game and with 53 seconds left owned a 71-63 lead.
The Spartans fought back in the final moments of the game; a Spartan lay-up closed the gap to 73-70 in the final seconds of play, but a Harrison free throw secured Poly’s win.
Mustang junior forward Lisa McBride, who posted a career-high 23 points in the Mustangs’ Nov. 10 season opener at Oregon State to earn Big West Conference Player of the Week honors, and sophomore forward Rebecca Tratter each contributed eight points on Tuesday.
Cal Poly, which has won its past five home openers, and eight of its past 10, graces Mott Gym’s floor for the first time this season at 5 p.m. tonight against Houston (1-1).
Cal Poly’s went 9-3 at home last year, 5-2 in-conference with an 11.4 point-per-victory average. The Mustangs’ home record trailed only that of UC Riverside (11-1, 7-0 Big West) and the Mustangs beat UC Riverside 64-58 on Feb. 22, 2007 at Mott Gym. Another impressive home victory was a 68-65 topping of Oregon State on Nov. 14, 2006 – the program’s first Pac-10 victory since 1977-78.