The San José State women’s basketball team took its first win of the season 81-65, defeating Bellarmine University at Provident Credit Union Event Center on Thursday night. 

The Spartans held Bellarmine to a 36-24 at halftime, SJSU head coach April Phillips said no changes were needed to maintain the strong performance. 

“Our girls just dug their heels in and really got down, defended and communicated,” Phillips said. “That to me was just heart, passion and obviously pure intention.” 

SJSU junior forward Marisa Davis-Jones led the Spartan offense, shooting 5 of 9 for 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. 

Phillips said overall Davis-Jones’ had good ball play, and was aggressive in getting to the rim and showed improvement in the turnover department. 

“Marisa is often haunted by turnovers, she only had two turnovers which was a good adjustment for her individually,” Phillips said. 

In the third quarter Davis-Jones was substituted out after hurting her leg after attempting to get a rebound. 

“It was just a little scuffle,” Davis-Jones said. “The (Bellarmine player) stepped on me, I was just more startled at the fact that it happened so fast, but I’m okay.” 

Davis-Jones returned in the fourth quarter.

“It feels good to get a dub (win) early in the season,” SJSU sophomore shooting guard Sabrina Ma said. “I definitely think we can build on top of a lot of things moving forward. It was a scrappy win, but we pulled it off.” 

Ma was second in scoring for the Spartans with 11 points and grabbed 3 rebounds.  

Senior point guard Jasmine Singleton led with 6 assists for the Spartans. 

Ma said Singleton’s position at an opportune moment can be really helpful to the team.

“Jasmine just has such a mature core presence on the floor,” Phillips said. “That kind of helps us with our tempo, and she’s doing a great job of helping us along with our freshmen.”

Ma said there are definitely areas of improvement for her and her teammates, not just as players on the court but as role models for new players.

“Whether we’re playing or we’re on the bench, being able to lead with composure despite pressure is something we can improve on,” Ma said.

Phillips said managing success is a key aspect to focus on for the team going forward this season, but overall she is proud of this first win. 

“It’s going to take game experience to get us to where we need to be but I’m very proud of this group for getting the win, wins are hard to come by,” Phillips said.