San Jose State returns home to host Wyoming

Published on by Sports Radio Service

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

Spartans host Cowboys Saturday afternoon
The San Jose State Spartans will return home Saturday to host the Wyoming Cowboys for a 2:00 pm PT tipoff inside the Event Center. Tickets for the game are available at the Spartans’ ticket office and will be available for purchase at the ticket window outside the Event Center. The game will be broadcasted live on the Mountain West Network and can be heard on KLIV 1590 AM with Justin Allegri’s play-by play call.

Game #20: By the Numbers
San Jose State (3-16, 0-8 MW) vs. Wyoming (13-7, 4-3 MW)
Saturday, January 27, 2018, 2:00 pm PT
The Event Center (5,000) in San Jose, Calif.
Tickets: Spartan Ticket Office – (408) 924-7589
Television: Mountain West Network
Radio: KLIV 1590 AM

History Between SJSU and Wyoming
Wyoming controls the all-time series 10-2 after beating San Jose State twice last season. The Spartans’ last win in the series came on Jan. 13, 2016, at the Event Center. SJSU’s win was the first on its home floor against a MW opponent since joining the league in the 2013-14 season. Since then, the Cowboys have won three straight, including last year’s regular season finale in Laramie, Wyo., in a 74-62 win.

Wyoming Comes in off of a Big Win
The same night SJSU lost to Boise State, Wyoming knocked off the MW-leading Nevada in double-overtime in a close 104-103 win. Fifth-place Wyoming with a 4-3 league record has defeated Nevada, Boise State and San Diego State in the first half of league play.

Spartans Were Unable to Defeat the Broncos
Earlier this week, SJSU lost to Boise State by 23 points (94-71) on the road. despite dispelling the tale of the supposed tape heading into the MW matchup. The Broncos brought in a stellar defense, which ranked second in the MW for holding teams to 40.1% shooting, but the Spartans hit 53.8% of its shots against them. Boise State’s 3-point field goal percentage defense ranked seventh in Division I basketball at 29.4%. But SJSU sank 8-of-14 (57.1%) shots from downtown that night. SJSU’s 3-point shooting wasn’t the main story because Boise State rained in 18 threes for a single-game record for a SJSU opponent. The Spartans got 22 points from Ryan Welage and a new career-high 16 points from Keith Fisher III, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Boise State’s sizzling shooting.

League’s Most Accurate Three-Point Shooter Is Spartans’ Noah Baumann
SJSU’s Noah Baumann is shooting 62.1% (18-29) from beyond the arc during league play, which ranks first among all MW players. The Desert Vista High School graduate from Phoenix has been lethal from downtown with an overall percentage of 52.5% (31-59).

Some defenses in league play have pressed on Baumann, such as New Mexico and San Diego State, which allowed him to take only six combined shots. However, he’s had a breakthrough in games of three-plus hits from deep against Utah State, Colorado State and Air Force.

Spartans’ Ryan Welage Has His Ninth 20-Point Game
Ryan Welage led the Spartans in scoring for the 14th time with 22 points at Boise State on Wednesday night. It was his ninth 20-point game of the season. He buried a couple of threes early on to get himself going and moved into a tie for third all-time at SJSU with 134 made threes. His next three will give him sole possession of third place, leaping ahead of Rashad Muhammad, and trailing only Adrian Oliver (138) and Tim Pierce (153).

Field Goal Percentage Defense Remains Solid
SJSU’s 43.0 field goal percentage defense is the best in a very long time. The Spartans took the MW’s fifth-ranked 42.4 field goal percentage defense into the week before Boise State knocked down 53.1% of its shots on Wednesday.

If the season ended at the beginning of the week, that 42.4% would be the best for any Spartan squad since the 2000-01 season. Last season, SJSU opponents hit 46% of their shots against the Spartans. The Spartans face Wyoming Saturday, where they’re holding MW opponents to 41% shooting.

SJSU Outshoots Another League Foe
SJSU barely edged Boise State in shooting on Wednesday after hitting 53.8% (28-52) from the floor. It was the fifth time in eight MW games that the Spartans finished with a better shooting percentage than the opponent. The Spartans have made more baskets than their opponents in three league games. Though, they’re still in search of their first league win. In the games where SJSU outshoots its opponent, it’s generally turnovers and 3-point shooting that shift the score in the opponents’ favor. The Spartans’ 17.6 turnovers per game are the most in Division I basketball.

In Case You Missed It
With a pair of free throws with 4:12 remaining in the second half of the game at San Diego State on January 9, 2017, Ryan Welage scored career points #999 and #1,000. He became the 15th player in program history (108 seasons) and the first since Justin Graham in 2011 to reach this particular milestone. He reached 1,000 points in his 77th game as a Spartan, and with 11 games remaining this season, he could continue to climb on SJSU’s all-time scoring list.

  1. 1,767 – Ricky Berry (84 games)
  2. 1,750 – Adrian Oliver (80 games)
  3. 1,504 – Stu Inman (123 games)
  4. 1,432 – Wally Rank (102 games)
  5. 1,272 – Justin Graham (119 games)
  6. 1,236 – Chris McNealy (81 games)
  7. 1,173 – Coby Dietrick (72 games)
  8. 1,139 – Terry Cannon (97 games)
  9. 1,136 – Johnnie Skinner (73 games)
  10. 1,125 – Ken Mickey (82 games)
  11. 1,095 – Sid Williams (111 games)
  12. 1,050 – S.T. Saffold (72 games)
  13. 1,050 – Olivier Saint-Jean (51 games)
  14. 1,049 – Carroll Williams (75 games)
  15. 1,048 – Ryan Welage (80 games) 

Leave a comment