San Jose State University Spartans guard Ben Roseborough (11) drives the lane for a layup against the UC Irvine Anteaters at Provident Credit Union Event Center in San Jose on Sun Nov 30, 2025 (SJSU Spartans photo)

By Ryan Hannagan

SAN JOSE, Calif. — UC Irvine held off San Jose State 72-63 on Saturday afternoon at Provident Credit Union Event Center, pulling away midway through the second half after a tight, back and forth matchup for most of the game.

The meeting marked the first of a four-game homestand for the Spartans (3-5), who entered the day coming off a win over Loyola Chicago. The Anteaters (5-4) arrived with slight favorability at a 53% win probability, per ESPN — and validated it behind strong transition play and a dominant performance from guard Derin Saran.

San Jose State remained without key contributor Javaughn Hannah, but early on, the game lived up to expectations of being closely contested. Sadraque Nganga opened the scoring with a free throw, but the Spartans didn’t make their first field goal until nearly three minutes in, when Jermaine Washington slammed home a fast break dunk. The Spartans struggles from the field continued the entirety of the game.

Despite shooting just 28% from the field in the first half, the Spartans kept the deficit manageable. UC Irvine built leads of six and later nine, but San Jose State repeatedly clawed back, including a tip in at the buzzer to trim the halftime score to 36-34. Nganga led SJSU with 10 points at the break, while Saran paced UCI with 12.

Washington tied the game at 36 to open the second half, but once again the Anteaters responded with a run. A three from Adrian Myers in his return off the bench briefly halted the momentum, yet UC Irvine continued to generate separation.

The Spartans’ offensive struggles worsened as the half progressed. UC Irvine’s lead swelled to 11 with just over 10 minutes remaining, capitalizing on SJSU turnovers, defensive lapses and transition miscues. San Jose State made one final push, trimming the deficit to five after a sequence of scores from Yaphet Moundi and Ben Roseborough, but Saran responded with a three pointer and a layup on consecutive possessions to restore a double digit lead.

A late three from UCI’s Justin Dixon extended the margin to 69-58 with 4:24 left, effectively sealing the game. The Anteaters held control from there.

“The physicality,” Roseborough told Sports Radio Service when asked about the cause of second half collapse. “They hit first, you got to hit first. Loose balls, everything like that, you got to get to it. They played way harder than us tonight.”

Head coach Tim Miles echoed that assessment.

“Credit Irvine — they ran the floor well. They did all the things that winning teams do. … Ultimately, I didn’t think we were great in transition defense and I didn’t think we converted well on the offensive side, especially in the interior.”

San Jose State shot just 31% from the field (22 of 70) compared with UC Irvine’s 49% (30 of 61). Despite winning the rebounding battle 43-41 — including 19 offensive boards — the Spartans were outscored 50-26 in the paint and 24-6 on fast breaks.

Roseborough led SJSU with 12 points. Saran finished with a game-high 24 for the Anteaters.

The loss marks San Jose State’s first home setback of the season. The Spartans continue their homestand later this week as they look to regroup and find their footing before conference play.