SAN JOSE, Calif. (Interstat) — In a game defined more by grit than grace, the San Jose State Spartans edged the Utah State Aggies 58-56 in a Mountain West women’s basketball contest Wednesday night at the Event Center.

The matchup between two teams struggling through difficult seasons lived up to its billing as a defensive scrap, with both sides combining to shoot under 35% from the field and commit 35 turnovers. The Spartans, who improved to 4-23 overall, secured just their second conference victory. The Aggies fell to 6-19.

The most critical sequence unfolded in the game’s final chaotic minute. With San Jose State clinging to a 57-56 lead after Utah State’s Karyn Sanford converted a layup with 28 seconds remaining, the Spartans’ Katarina Anderson was fouled with 22 seconds on the clock. Anderson, a 5-foot-7 guard from Nipomo, California, missed the first free throw but calmly sank the second to push the lead to two points.

Utah State called a full timeout to advance the ball and set up a final play. The inbounds went to Aitana Rosello Lopez, who led the Aggies with 14 points, but her contested three-point attempt from the wing as time expired missed the mark, sealing the Spartans’ narrow victory.

San Jose State was carried by the standout performance of Maya Anderson. The 6-foot-1 sophomore from Toronto scored a game-high 22 points, including several crucial baskets to stem Utah State rallies. She added three assists and three steals in 37 minutes. Allie Cummins of Moraga, California, provided vital support with 11 points, four assists and three steals.

For Utah State, Rosello Lopez’s 14 points came on an inefficient 6-of-19 shooting night, emblematic of her team’s offensive struggles. The Aggies shot a frigid 3 for 28 from three-point range, a 10.7% clip that proved insurmountable. Rachel Wilson added 13 points and Jamisyn Heaton had 11 for the visitors.

The game’s trajectory was set by a stark contrast in halves. Utah State led 10-9 late in a sloppy first quarter before San Jose State seized control with a dominant second period. The Spartans outscored the Aggies 22-12 in the quarter, fueled by a 13-2 run that included three-pointers from Cummins and Anderson. That surge gave San Jose State a 35-22 halftime advantage, its largest of the night.

Utah State responded after the break, clamping down defensively to hold San Jose State to just nine points in the third quarter. A 15-4 Aggies run bridging the third and fourth quarters, powered by interior scoring from Rosello Lopez and Wilson, erased the deficit and set the stage for the tense finish. The Aggies even took a brief one-point lead midway through the final period before the teams traded blows down the stretch.

Despite being outscored 36-22 in the paint and committing 19 turnovers to Utah State’s 16, San Jose State found just enough offense. The Spartans hit six three-pointers to Utah State’s three and made 14 free throws to the Aggies’ nine, marginal advantages that decided the two-point contest.

The Spartans’ defense was relentless, recording 10 steals and forcing the Aggies into a season-worst offensive rating of 78.6 points per 100 possessions. Utah State’s four total assists highlighted their inability to find consistent offensive flow.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for San Jose State and avenged a 74-61 loss to the Aggies in Logan on Dec. 31. Utah State has now lost three straight and seven of its last eight.

San Jose State hosts Boise State on Saturday. Utah State travels to face Grand Canyon the same day.