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Las Vegas • After watching San Jose State forward Erica Woodberry shred his defense with outside shooting Monday afternoon, Utah State coach Jerry Finkbeiner tried to answer his own question.

Either she was "out of her mind," Finkbeiner suggested, "or we didn't execute defensively."

His conclusion: "Probably a combination of both."

In any case, Woodberry's eight 3-pointers in 11 attempts powered the No. 8-seeded Spartans to a 99-85 victory in a first-round game of the Mountain West women's basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Australian guard Funda Nakkasoglu, the conference's freshman of the year, made 14 of 14 free throws and posted 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Aggies (8-23). Tilar Clark, another freshman, added 16.

USU was hurt by 14 turnovers in the first half, due partly to trying to keep up with San Jose State's fast pace. The result of the Aggies' early 20-11 lead was "a false sense of security … that we could play this style for 40 minutes," Finkbeiner said.

USU trailed 40-32 at halftime, having committed 14 turnovers. The Aggies were sharper offensively in the second half, but their defense got worse against the MW's highest-scoring team.

Woodberry finished with 26 points and another senior, Ta'Rea Cunningham, added 25 for the Spartans (14-16), who pulled away after USU cut the lead to 67-62 midway through the second half. SJSU will meet No. 1 seed Colorado State in Tuesday's quarterfinals.

Other than Woodberry, the Spartans made only 6 of 24 shots from 3-point range. But her success was particularly disappointing to Finkbeiner, because his game plan emphasized that USU's forwards should contest her outside shots.

The Spartans broke a tournament record with their 99 points, before dribbling out the clock on their last possession. SJSU fell just short of the season high for a USU opponent, after Sacramento State took a 102-92 victory in December.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com

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