In the first half of Cal Poly Women’s Basketball’s match against San Jose State, freshman forward Mary Carter looked like how a freshman playing some of her first Division 1 minutes would look like.
The 6’3 forward struggled against the Spartans size. When she drove the ball to the basket, she was stripped on multiple occasions and shots didn’t fall.
But in the second half, Carter began to find her stride. She hit perimeter shots but also found ways to break into the paint and make good decisions. Carter ended with 11 points on three of five shooting from three-point range along with 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal.
Carter’s performance helped keep the Mustangs (1-2) in the game, but the team ultimately fell 61-56 to the Spartans on the road.
After being down as much as 12 in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs staged a late-game comeback attempt and cut San Jose State’s lead down to two.
The Mustangs took a 7-2 in the first quarter in what would be their largest lead of the game, but the Spartans would claw back into the game.
A close first half ended 23-21 in favor of the Spartans, but to begin the third quarter, the Spartans mounted a 10-0 run with a press that flustered the Mustangs, who finished with 30 turnovers.
The Spartans scored two more points than their first half with 25 points and held a 48-36 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
The Mustangs went on a 15-5 run of their own in the fourth quarter. Carter hit a three-pointer to bring Cal Poly within two at 51-53 with three minutes remaining.
Carter is one of the nine newcomers to the team and notched the first double-double of her collegiate career.
Senior forward Natalia Ackerman was also in double figures, scoring 10 points.
Cal Poly shot 48.6% from the field compared to the Spartans 35.6% mark, but the Mustangs’ errors turned into 23 points off turnovers.
The bigger Spartans roster used their size to round up 15-second chance points.
Cal Poly will take on their second Pac-12 opponent Cal. The Mustangs will play at Haas Pavilion on Monday, Nov. 13th at 3:00 p.m..