Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

It wasn’t a sellout crowd at Arena-Auditorium, but it was a loud crowd. The San Jose State Spartans were still seeking their first conference win of the season and they hoped to defeat the Wyoming Cowboys in any way possible Saturday afternoon.

Both teams rose to the occasion as soon as the ball went up in the air following the scheduled 2 pm MT tipoff. Keith Fisher III drained the foul-line jumper to cap off a 9-0 Spartans run before the Cowboys took a timeout. The Spartans were up 11-5 at the 16:44 mark of the first half.

Both teams also exchanged a couple of ties and leads. Ryan Welage threw down a dunk to tie the game at 17 apiece midway through the first. The Cowboys then went on a 16-2 run, but Jalen James hit a jumper to hush the home team. However, Wyoming continued to lead 38-31 with 3:48 left in the first.

The Spartans trailed the Cowboys 45-37 at the end of the first. Jaycee Hillsman scored 11 points and five rebounds. Fisher III had 10 points and four rebounds.

Despite the fact that Fisher III led all Spartans with 22 points, the Cowboys led by 12 points, 73-61, with 7:20 left in the second half.

The Spartans pulled within nine with 2:38 left in the second. Then, the Cowboys pushed forward for an 11-point lead with less than two minutes left. Wyoming was terrific from beyond the arc, and that was a reason why San Jose State remained flat.

The Spartans lost to the Cowboys 89-75 in Wyoming. Fisher III finished with a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds. Hillsman scored 15 points and 10 rebounds. Welage had 19 points.

Notes
Spartans’ starting lineup: Jalen James, Jaycee Hillsman, Keith Fisher III, Ryan Welage and Oumar Barry.

Cowboys’ starting lineup: Justin James, Hunter Maldonado, Cody Kelley, Hayden Dalton and Alan Herndon.

Up Next
The Spartans return to action next Wednesday, February 21 as they take on the Nevada Wolf Pack at 7 pm PT on ESPN3.