Category: San Jose State Spartans

San Jose State visits undefeated San Diego State on Sunday

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By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team continues its opening week of Mountain West play with a visit to undefeated San Diego State on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s conference contest.

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (3-6, 0-1 MW)
PPG: 65.6 | FG%: 39.8 | 3FG%: 27.0 | FT%: 65.2

NOTES: The Spartans trailed by just three at the half and kept it close until a late run by No. 25 Utah State in Wednesday’s 71-59 conference-opening loss. SJSU is 3-0 when shooting better than 45% on field goals and is 0-6 when shooting under 45%. After using the same starting lineup for the first six games of the season, Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau has used a different combo in each of the last three. Freshman guard Omari Moore has started twice in that stretch.

SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (9-0, 1-0 MW)
PPG: 77.0 | FG%: 47.1 | 3FG%: 40.1 | FT%: 71.9

SERIES: SJSU trails, 35-40 (8-26 in San Diego)

LAST: SJSU lost, 84-56, on 3/2/19 at SDSU

NOTES: SDSU has started a season 9-0 for the second time in program history. The Aztecs opened Mountain West play on Wednesday with a 79-57 win at Colorado State. Malachi Flynn, a Washington State transfer, had a game-high 23 points plus 7 assists. Flynn is sixth in the MW in points per game (16.9) and second in assists per game (5.4).

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Fox Sports SD with Steve Quis and Ros Gold-Onwude

STREAM: Foxsports.com/live

RADIO: Justin Allegri on the call through TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app. Search for “San Jose St. Basketball”.

AMAZING ANIGWE 
Sophomore Christian Anigwe has been an anchor for the Spartans in the middle this season. Anigwe ranks ninth in the MW in rebounds per game at 6.6 RPG. The 6-foot-9 big man is also seventh in the MW in blocked shots per game at 1.2 BPG. He has had a season-best three blocked shots vs. both Grambling and Oregon State.

SAN JOSE STATE STYMIES GRAMBLING STATE
Grambling State entered the game on Nov. 20 with the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 114 points over its first three games. The Spartans held the Tigers 38 points under their average in an 83-76 win at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. Grambling State was 1-of-10 shooting on 3-pointers.

SAN JOSE STATE DOWNS SIMPSON
The Spartans had 13 different players score in an 85-60 win over Simpson on Nov. 17. Zach Chappell came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points, including a pair of 3s. Seneca Knight was 6-of-8 shooting for 15 points. Craig LeCesne added 13 points in 19 minutes. Ralph Agee posted 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Harminder Dhaliwal made his collegiate debut and had 2 points and 2 rebounds in six minutes.

SAN JOSE STATE STUNS HOFSTRA IN SEASON OPENER
SJSU opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra on the road, 79-71, on Nov. 6. Hofstra won 27 games last year, SJSU lost 27 games. In his Spartan debut, JC transfer and former Wake Forest guard, Richard Washington, posted a team-high 23 points off the bench on 8-of-13 shooting. Washington scored 12 of his 23 points in the final four minutes, including a stretch of three straight 3s to put the game away. Craig LeCesne had his first career double-double with a career-high 19 points plus 11 rebounds. It was SJSU’s first win in a road opener since 2010-11 when the Spartans topped Eastern Washington, 67-60. The Spartans snapped a 21-game road losing streak dating back to 2017-18. SJSU won on the East Coast for the first time since 2001-02, when the Spartans defeated Fairleigh Dickinson at the BCA Tournament hosted by NC State in Raleigh, N.C.

RETURNING STARTERS
The Spartans return seven players who started at least one game a season ago. Seneca Knight is the most experienced, as the sophomore started 17 games, including the final 12, of his rookie season. Brae Ivey was just behind Knight, as the former junior college transfer started 16 games last season. Craig LeCesne and Zach Chappell both started 15 games last year. Christian Anigwe, Isaiah Nichols and Trey Smith each started one game.

SIX NEW PLAYERS
SJSU head coach Jean Prioleau will have the help of six newcomers on the roster in 2019-20. The Spartans have three new junior college transfers in Richard Washington (Tallahassee CC), Eduardo Lane (Marshalltown CC) and Ralph Agee (East LA College). Washington started his collegiate career at Wake Forest, where he played eight games as a freshman before an injury caused him to miss the entire 2017-18 season. Another Wake Forest transfer will join the Spartans on the floor this season, as center Samuel Japhet-Mathias will be eligible after a redshirt season last year. The former four-star recruit appeared in 17 games off the bench at Wake Forest as a freshman in 2016-17. He posted 6 points and 4 rebounds at No. 17 Xavier. Prioleau added two freshmen this season in guard Omari Moore and walk-on center Harminder Dhaliwal.

TV SCHEDULE
SJSU will play 10 games on TV this season, including three at home. SJSU hosts an ESPN networks game this year for the first time since 2010-11, when either ESPN2 or ESPNU will carry the SJSU tip against Utah State on Dec. 4. SJSU will also be on ESPN2 or ESPNU when visiting Utah State on Feb. 26. SJSU will have four non-conference games on TV, all against Pac-12 competition. The Spartans will be on CBS Sports Network when hosting Stanford at the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Dec. 14. SJSU will battle both UCLA and Arizona on Pac-12 Networks and meet Oregon State on FS1 for a neutral site game in Las Vegas. The Spartans will also have four Mountain West contests on AT&T SportsNet this season — Jan. 15 at UNLV, Jan. 21 at New Mexico, Feb. 8 at Nevada and Feb. 29 vs. UNLV.

San Jose State Spartans podcast with Ana Kieu: Is there hope for the men’s basketball team?

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On the SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana:

1. Ana, talk about SJSU football beating Fresno State 17-16 and reclaiming the Valley Trophy last Saturday night.

2. SJSU men’s basketball suffered a blowout by UCLA 93-64 this past Sunday.

3. SJSU men’s basketball lost to #25 Utah State 71-59 on Wednesday night.

4. SJSU men’s basketball heads to Viejas Arena to take on SDSU on Sunday.

5. SJSU baseball added 6 signees to its 2020 signing class.

Ana’s final thoughts…

Catch Ana on the SJSU Spartans podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State falls to #25 Utah State 71-59

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By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team were on one of television’s biggest platforms on Wednesday night. ESPN2 televised the SJSU vs. #25 Utah State conference contest at the Provident Credit Union Event Center, which was a pretty big deal if you follow the Mountain West.

The Spartans’ starters were Brae Ivey, Omari Moore, Christian Anigwe, Seneca Knight and Sam Japhet-Mathias.

USU’s Justin Bean went on a 4-0 run to open the scoring, but SJSU’s Brae Ivey ended the Aggies’ run with a fastbreak 3-pointer at 18:16. Bean continued to give the Spartans the fits with back-to-back layups to extend the Aggies’ lead to 8-3 at 16:50. SJSU’s Seneca Knight hit a 3 to make it a 2-point game 38 seconds later. USU’s Sam Merrill quickly responded with a 3 to put the Aggies ahead 11-6. Ivey, however, hit a 3 to put the Spartans back within 2 at 15:10.

The back-and-forth play continued past the 10-minute mark of the first quarter. The Spartans held a 21-19 lead with 7:08 left. The Aggies gave the Spartans fits, but somehow, SJSU made it a close game until the first half came to an end. SJSU’s Christian Anigwe buried a 3 to help the Spartans regain the lead 21-19. Then, SJSU’s Isaiah Nichols to cut the lead to 1 late in the half.

SJSU trailed 36-33 at the break. But the Spartans played one of their best halves in the young season as they shot 40% and hit six 3s.

USU struck first to open the second half, but SJSU made it a 3-point game, thanks to a Sam Japhet-Mathas layup at 19:12. Sam Merrill was a key Aggies scorer who received help from big men such as Brock Miller, Justin Bean and Alphonso Anderson. SJSU’s Craig LeCesne knocked down a jumper to cut the deficit to 10 with 6:20 left.

SJSU made some key plays like Seneca Knight’s pair of fastbreak free throws along with a fastbreak 3 late in the half. But it was USU who prevailed from Sam Merrill, Justin Bean, Abel Porter and Diogo Brito. The Aggies won 71-59.

With the win, USU improved to 8-1, 1-0 MW. With the loss, SJSU fell to 3-6, 0-1 MW.

The Spartans head to Viejas Arena to take on the San Diego State Aztecs on Sunday, December 8 at 12 pm PST.

Josh Love named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year

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By Ana Kieu

San Jose State senior quarterback Josh Love, who had one of the best regular seasons by a FBS quarterback in 2019, was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, the conference’s premier passer on the league’s 30-player first-team, and was one of seven Spartans honored with All-Mountain West honors.

Wide receivers Tre Walker and Bailey Gaither, offensive linemen Troy Kowalski and Jack Snyder, linebacker Ethan Aguayo and placekicker Matt Mercurio joined Love as All-Mountain West honorees.

“I am so excited about the All-Mountain West honors our players received. These players worked so hard here at San Jose State and for the conference to recognize them is extremely exciting for them individually and also for us as a program. ‘Spartan Up!” said SJSU football head coach Brent Brennan in response to the conference awards announcement.

Brennan, the 11 other Mountain West head coaches, and a panel of media members cast votes for the conference awards.

Love completed 60.9% of his passes with only eight interceptions for 3,923 yards and 22 touchdowns as the Spartans recorded a 5-7 win-loss record, four more wins than in 2018. All of his season totals were personal bests for the one-time walk-on from Long Beach (Calif.) Poly High.

Love became only the third quarterback in conference history to throw for 400 or more yards five games in a season. His six career 400-yard passing games ranks second on the all-time Mountain West list behind Oakland Raiders and Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr, who had 11 in two seasons. His 3,923 passing yards are #6 on the Mountain West’s single-season list and ranks third nationally this season in games played through November 30. He’s also sixth nationally in total offense at 319.6 yards per game.

The numbers complement a year in which the co-captain led the Spartans to game-winning touchdown drives with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of 75 yards at Arkansas for SJSU’s first win in school history against a SEC opponent and 83 yards vs. Fresno State to conclude the season.

Love’s the first Spartan to receive a Mountain West “superlative” postseason award since 2013 when wide receiver Tyler Winston was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year; the first SJSU player to be named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year; the first Spartan quarterback since Mike Perez in 1987 to be named a conference Offensive Player of the Year; and the first San Jose State signal caller since Ralph Martini in 1990 to be named a first-team all-conference quarterback.

Since 1970 when SJSU aligned itself in a football-playing conference, Steve DeBerg (1976–Pacific Coast Athletic Association), Ed Luther (1979–PCAA), Perez (1986–PCAA and 1987–Big West) and Love (2019–Mountain West) are the four Spartan quarterbacks to garner conference Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Walker, a junior from Los Angeles’ Narbonne High, joined Love as a first-team All-Mountain West honoree. He led the Mountain West in receptions per game and receiving yards per game in the regular season with 79 catches for 1,161 yards and two touchdowns. He currently ranks fifth nationally in receptions per game (7.9) and third in the FBS in receiving yards per game (116.1). Three times, Walker had 10 or more catches in a game and in six games, he had at least 100 yards in pass receptions, many of them from passes by Love.

Aguayo, a senior from Mission Viejo, Calif., and a graduate of JSerra High, was San Jose State’s one second-team All-Mountain West honoree. He led the conference and was fourth nationally in tackles per game at 11.3 in the regular season. For the second consecutive season, he was credited with more than 100 tackles and his 345 career stops is among the top-10 totals by an active FBS player.

Gaither, a senior from Paso Robles, Calif.; Mercurio, a freshman from Salinas, Calif.; and Kowalski, a senior from Glendale, Ariz., and Snyder, a junior from Kentfield, Calif., received honorable mention All-Mountain West honors.

Gaither had personal single season bests of 52 receptions for 812 yards and six touchdowns – one each in six consecutive games to set a school record. Mercurio led the Spartans in scoring with 97 points, was tied for 10th nationally in field made per game converting 20 out of 24 attempts, and was tied for 24th in the FBS for field goal percentage at the end of the regular season (83.3%).

Kowalski and Snyder comprised the left side of the offensive line that was one of the top pass protection quintets in college football. In the regular season, SJSU was tied for eighth nationally yielding just 14 sacks in 12 games, but were third nationally behind Georgia and Clemson for pass attempts (35.6 to 1) per sacks of the quarterback.

SJSU men’s hoops hosts #25 Utah State in ESPN2 clash on Wednesday night

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By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team plays host to No. 25 ranked Utah State on Wednesday night at 8:15 pm in a televised Mountain West clash on ESPN2.

Here’s what you need to know about Wednesday’s game.

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (3-5, 0-0 MW)
PPG: 66.4 | FG%: 39.5 | 3FG%: 25.7 | FT%: 65.6

NOTES: The Spartans enter conference play coming off a pair of Pac-12 road losses. SJSU is 2-2 at home this season and will be the host in five of its next seven games. Seneca Knight is averaging a team-high 11.8 points per game with Richard Washington just behind at 10.1. The Spartans have shot 40% or better in all three wins and shot under 40% in all five losses.

#25 UTAH STATE AGGIES (7-1, 0-0 MW)
PPG: 81.4 | FG%: 46.8 | 3FG%: 36.5 | FT%: 76.8

SERIES: SJSU trails, 22-62 (14-21 at home)

LAST: SJSU lost both games vs. Utah State last year

NOTES: Utah State opened the season with seven straight wins before falling at Saint Mary’s on Friday, 81-73. Sam Merrill, who’s averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game, had 23 points in the loss to the Gaels. The Aggies have been playing without Neemias Queta, who has missed all eight games thus far with an injury.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: ESPN2 with Roxy Bernstein and Richie Schueler

Stream: espn.com/watch with a cable login

RADIO: Justin Allegri on the call through TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app. Search for “San Jose St. Basketball”.

ZEALOUS ZACH
A constant in the Spartans’ last five games has been the play of reserve guard Zach Chappell. Chappell posted a season-high 17 points, including 3-of-3 shooting from deep, in a loss to Portland State on Nov. 23. Chappell tallied 14 points in a win over Simpson on Nov. 17, going 5-of-7 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Spartans are shooting just 25.7% from 3 on the season, but Chappell is shooting 42.1% from deep.

SAN JOSE STATE STYMIES GRAMBLING STATE
Grambling State entered the game on Nov. 20 with the nation’s #1 scoring offense, averaging 114 points over its first three games. The Spartans held the Tigers 38 points under their average in an 83-76 win at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. Grambling State was 1-of-10 shooting on three-pointers.

EQUAL EFFORT IN HOME WIN OVER SIMPSON
The Spartans had 13 different players score in an 85-60 win over Simpson on Nov. 17. Zach Chappell came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points, including a pair of 3s. Seneca Knight was 6-of-8 shooting for 15 points. Craig LeCesne added 13 points in 19 minutes. Ralph Agee posted 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Harminder Dhaliwal made his collegiate debut and had 2 points and 2 rebounds in 6 minutes.

SAN JOSE STATE STUNS HOFSTRA IN SEASON OPENER
SJSU opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra 79-71 on the road on Nov. 6. Hofstra won 27 games last year, while SJSU lost 27 games. In his Spartan debut, JUCO transfer and former Wake Forest guard, Richard Washington, posted a team-high 23 points off the bench on 8-of-13 shooting. Washington scored 12 of his 23 points in the final four minutes, including a stretch of three straight 3s to put the game away. Craig LeCesne had his first career double-double with a career-high 19 points plus 11 rebounds. It was the Spartans’ first win in a road opener since 2010-11 when SJSU topped Eastern Washington, 67-60. The Spartans snapped a 21-game road losing streak dating back to 2017-18. SJSU won on the East Coast for the first time since 2001-02, when the Spartans defeated Fairleigh Dickinson at the BCA Tournament hosted by NC State in Raleigh, N.C.

STAGNANT STARTERS
The Spartans return seven players who started at least one game a season ago. Seneca Knight is the most experienced, as the sophomore started 17 games, including the final 12, of his rookie season. Brae Ivey was just behind Knight, as the former junior college transfer started 16 games last season. Craig LeCesne and Zach Chappell both started 15 games last year. Christian Anigwe, Isaiah Nichols and Trey Smith–a walk-on guard–each started one game.

SIX NEW PLAYERS
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau will have the help of six newcomers on the roster in 2019-20. The Spartans have three new junior college transfers in Richard Washington (Tallahassee CC), Eduardo Lane (Marshalltown CC) and Ralph Agee (East LA College). Washington started his collegiate career at Wake Forest, where he played eight games as a freshman before an injury caused him to miss the entire 2017-18 season. Another Wake Forest transfer will join the Spartans on the floor this season, as center Samuel Japhet-Mathias will be eligible after a redshirt season last year. The former 4-star recruit appeared in 17 games off the bench at Wake Forest as a freshman in 2016-17. Japhet-Mathias posted 6 points and 4 rebounds at No. 17 Xavier. Prioleau added two freshmen this season in guard Omari Moore and walk-on center Harminder Dhaliwal.

FOUR WINS FOLLOWED BY A TITLE
SJSU hopes to duplicate the success of the 1995-96 squad. SJSU won the Big West Conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year after going 4-23 during the 1994-95 season. The Spartans went 4-27 last season.

SAN JOSE STATE TELEVISION SCHEDULE
SJSU will play 10 games on TV this season, including three at home. SJSU hosts an ESPN networks game this year for the first time since 2010-11, when either ESPN2 or ESPNU will carry the SJSU tip against Utah State on Dec. 4. SJSU will also be on ESPN2 or ESPNU when visiting Utah State on Feb. 26. SJSU will have four non-conference games on TV, all against Pac-12 foes. The Spartans will be on CBS Sports Network when hosting Stanford at the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Dec. 14. SJSU will battle both UCLA and Arizona on Pac-12 Networks and meet Oregon State on FS1 for a neutral site game in Las Vegas. SJSU will also have four Mountain West contests on AT&T SportsNet this season — Jan. 15 at UNLV, Jan. 21 at New Mexico, Feb. 8 at Nevada and Feb. 29 vs. UNLV.

UCLA downs SJSU 93-64 in Los Angeles

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By Ana Kieu

The San Jose State men’s basketball team wrapped up a 2-game road trip with a non-conference contest against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday. SJSU had hopes to snap a 2-game losing skid.

SJSU had time for a shootaround around Pauley Pavilion. Then, Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau confirmed the starters for Sunday’s game in Brae Ivey, Christian Anigwe, Seneca Knight, Sam Japhet-Mathias, and Craig LeCesne.

UCLA got on the board first, but SJSU responded as Christian Anigwe finished a 3-point play to cut the deficit to 7-5 early in the first quarter.

UCLA led 16-7 when SJSU called a timeout at 15:28. Also, Richard Washington called bank on a shot at 14:18. In addition, there was great ball movement by Omari Moore and company and that led to a Zach Chappell corner 3. However, SJSU trailed 20-12 midway through the first.

Richard Washington doubled up for his second 3 of the night at 10:20. Yet, SJSU trailed 26-17. UCLA then took a 34-22 lead at the under-8 timeout with 7:13 left.

The Spartans went cold, but continued to shoot free throws following the final media timeout of the first. Omari Moore made a great play–a steal that he laid in on the other end–to snap the Spartans’ scoring drought. But SJSU trailed 46-26 at the halftime break, so they had their work cut out for them.

SJSU, however, saw little improvement in the second half. The Spartans trailed 58-35 at the first media timeout of the second at 15:58. The Bruins took a commanding 66-44 lead at the second media timeout at 11:51. The Spartans’ Omari Moore recorded a season-best 11 points and was 4-for-5 from the field at 11:51, too. Then, UCLA went on a 13-0 run, which prompted head coach Jean Prioleau to call a timeout, and extended its lead to 79-46 with 9:01 left in the second. UCLA went on to win 93-64.

With the win, UCLA improved to 6-3. With the loss, SJSU fell to 3-5.

The Spartans return home to host the #15 Utah State Aggies on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 8:15 pm PST.

San Jose State edges Fresno State 17-16 on Senior Night to win Valley Trophy

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By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — For the San Jose State football team, Saturday night was a little bit more about celebrating 18 seniors on Senior Night. Those seniors were Chandler Hawkins, Zamore Zigler, Sailosi Latu, Jesse Osuna, Brandon Ezell, Josh Love, DeJon Packer, Ethan Aguayo, Christian Webb, Lionell Wiggins, Korey Mariboho, Deano Motes, Troy Kowalski, Bailey Gaither, Brett Foley, Duane Tuatasi, Alex Galland, and Quinn Oseland.

With that said, SJSU had their game faces on when the Fresno State Bulldogs were in town. Senior quarterback Josh Love and the Spartan offense opened the game with the ball. But the Bulldogs struck first as senior quarterback Jorge Reyna threw a 38-yard pass to tight end Jared Rice, who ran for the opening touchdown, and Cesar Silva kicked in the extra point. It was 7-0 Bulldogs with 7:49 left in the first quarter.

Fresno State made it a 14-0 game just 2:41 later. Ronnie Rivers rushed for a 5-yard rushing touchdown and Silva kicked in the extra point.

Junior center Kyle Hoppe suffered an injury and didn’t return. However, SJSU got on the board first as Matt Mercurio kicked a 22-yard field goal to reduce the deficit to 14-3 with 1:13 left in the first. The Bulldogs led 14-3 at the end of the first.

The second quarter looked better for the Spartans. Jay Lenard snagged an interception–his second interception of the season–for the first turnover of the game late in the second.

Just minutes after Cade Hall showed some moves with the strip sack, Justin Rice kicked a 10-yard field goal to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 16-3 with 5:27 left in the second. The Bulldogs led 16-3 at halftime.

SJSU pulled within six to cut the deficit to 16-10 with 9:43 left in the third quarter. Love rushed for a 2-yard rushing touchdown and Mercurio kicked in the extra point. The Spartans continued to trail 16-10 after the third.

DeJon Packer saved the night for the Spartans. Packer rushed for a 10-yard rushing touchdown to put the Spartans up 17-16 with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter. Packer’s touchdown was all the Spartans needed to beat Fresno State 17-16 and keep the Valley Trophy for the first time since 2016.

With the win, SJSU finished the regular season 5-7, 2-6 Mountain West. Fresno State wrapped up the season 4-8, 2-6 Mountain West.

Follow me on Twitter @AnaKieu for San Jose State football offseason updates.

San Jose State stops by UCLA on Sunday

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By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team will meet their second straight Pac-12 foe on Sunday when SJSU and UCLA tip at 5 pm PST in Pauley Pavilion on the Pac-12 Network.

Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s game.

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (3-4, 0-0 Mountain West)
PPG: 66.7 | FG%: 40.1 | 3FG%: 25.3 | FT%: 63.4

NOTES: The Spartans will face their third Pac-12 foe of the young season on Sunday evening at UCLA. SJSU played Arizona on Nov. 14 in Tucson and Oregon State last Wednesday in Las Vegas. Guards Seneca Knight (11.9 PPG) and Richard Washington (10.1 PPG) are also getting after it on the glass, combing for 11.6 rebounds per game. Guard Zach Chappell is averaging 11.8 PPG off the bench over the Spartans’ last four contests.

UCLA BRUINS (5-3, 0-0 Pac-12)
PPG: 71.2 | FG%: 45.1 | 3FG%: 32.3 | FT%: 69.6

SERIES: SJSU is 1-8 all-time vs. UCLA (0-5 in LA)

LAST: SJSU lost, 94-71, on Dec. 11, 1982 in LA

NOTES: UCLA went 1-2 last week at the Maui Invitational, with a win over Chaminade and losses to BYU (78-63) and Michigan State (75-62). The Bruins feature four players averaging double figures in scoring led by Chris Smith’s 12.0 points per game. The Bruins lost to Hofstra, 88-78, while SJSU knocked them off on the road in their season opener 79-71.

BROADCASTS
TV: Pac-12 Network

STREAM: pac-12.com/live with a cable login

RADIO: Justin Allegri on the call through TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app. Search for “San Jose St. Basketball”.

ZEALOUS ZACH
A constant in the Spartans’ last four games has been the play of reserve guard Zach Chappell … Chappell posted a season-high 17 points, including 3-of-3 shooting from deep, iu Saturday’s loss to Portland State … Chappell tallied 14 points in a win over Simpson on Nov. 17, going 5-of-7 from the field including a pair of 3-pointers … The Spartans are shooting just 25.3% from 3 on the season but Chappell is shooting 43.8% from deep.

SAN JOSE STATE STYMIES GRAMBLING STATE
Grambling State entered the game on Nov. 20 with the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 114 points over its first 3 games … The Spartans held the Tigers 38 points under their average in an 83-76 win at the Provident Credit Union Event Center … Grambling State was 1-of-10 shooting on 3s.

BEAUTIFUL BALANCE OVER SIMPSON
The Spartans had 13 different players score in an 85-60 win over Simpson on Nov. 17 … Guard Zach Chappell came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points, including a pair of 3s … Guard Seneca Knight was 6-of-8 shooting for 15 points … Forward Craig LeCesne added 13 points in 19 minutes … Forward Ralph Agee posted 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting … Freshman walk-on Harminder Dhaliwal made his collegiate debut and had 2 points and 2 rebounds in 6 minutes.

SAN JOSE STATE STUNS HOFSTRA
SJSU opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra on the road, 79-71, on Nov. 6 … Hofstra won 27 games last year, SJSU lost 27 games … In his Spartan debut, JUCO transfer and former Wake Forest guard, Richard Washington, posted a team-high 23 points off the bench on 8-of-13 shooting. He scored 12 of his 23 points in the final 4 minutes, including a stretch of 3 straight 3s to put the game away … Senior forward Craig LeCesne had his first career double-double with a career-high 19 points plus 11 rebounds … It was SJSU’s first win in a road opener since 2010-11 when the Spartans topped Eastern Washington, 67-60 … The Spartans snapped a 21-game road losing streak dating back to 2017-18 … SJSU won on the East Coast for the first time since 2001-02, when the Spartans defeated Fairleigh Dickinson at the BCA Tournament hosted by NC State in Raleigh, N.C.

STARTERS TO STAY 
The Spartans return seven players who started at least 1 game a season ago … Guard Seneca Knight is the most experienced, as the sophomore started 17 games, including the final 12, of his rookie season … Point guard Brae Ivey was just behind Knight, as the former junior college transfer started 16 games last season … Forward Craig LeCesne and guard Zach Chappell both started 15 games last year … Forward Christian Anigwe, guard Isaiah Nichols and walk-on guard Trey Smith started 1 game apiece.

SIX NEWCOMERS
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau will have the help of 6 newcomers on the roster in 2019-20 … The Spartans have three new junior college transfers in Richard Washington (Tallahassee CC), Eduardo Lane (Marshalltown CC) and Ralph Agee (East LA College). Washington started his collegiate career at Wake Forest, where he played eight games as a freshman before an injury caused him to miss the entire 2017-18 season … Another Wake Forest transfer will join the Spartans on the floor this season, as center Samuel Japhet-Mathias will be eligible after a redshirt season last year. The former 4-star recruit appeared in 17 games off the bench at Wake Forest as a freshman in 2016-17. He posted 6 points and 4 rebounds at No. 17 Xavier … Prioleau added two freshmen this season in guard Omari Moore and walk-on center Harminder Dhaliwal.

TELEVISION SCHEDULE
SJSU will play 10 games on TV this season, including three at home … SJSU hosts an ESPN networks game this year for the first time since 2010-11, when either ESPN2 or ESPNU will carry the SJSU tip against Utah State on Dec. 4. SJSU will also be on ESPN2 or ESPNU when visiting Utah State on Feb. 26 … SJSU will have four non-conference games on TV, all against Pac-12 competition. The Spartans will be on CBS Sports Network when hosting Stanford at the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Dec. 14. SJSU will battle both UCLA and Arizona on Pac-12 Networks … The Spartans will also have four Mountain West contests on AT&T SportsNet this season — Jan. 15 at UNLV, Jan. 21 at New Mexico, Feb. 8 at Nevada and Feb. 29 vs. UNLV.

San Jose State Spartans podcast with Ana Kieu: SJSU to battle Fresno State in football season finale; SJSU men’s basketball exceeds expectations; plus more

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB

On the SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana:

1. Football: SJSU dropped a heartbreaker at UNLV 38-35 on Saturday, November 23rd.

2. Football: SJSU gets ready to host arch-rival Fresno State in season finale on Saturday, November 30th.

3. Men’s basketball: SJSU got blown out by Portland State at home 91-76 on Saturday, November 23rd.

4. Men’s basketball: SJSU got blown out by Oregon State at Las Vegas Classic 83-48 on Wednesday, November 27th.

5. Men’s basketball: SJSU heads to UCLA to take on the Bruins on Sunday, December 1st.

Ana’s Final thoughts

Catch Ana on the SJSU Spartans podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State suffers 83-48 loss to Oregon State in Las Vegas Classic

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Photo credit: @PickDawgz

By Ana Kieu

The San Jose State men’s basketball team traveled to the Nevada desert to play in the Las Vegas Classic against the Oregon State Beavers at Orleans Arena on Wednesday evening. The game was nationally televised on FS1.

The Spartans’ new-look starting lineup featured Brae Ivey, Omari Moore, Christian Anigwe, Sam Japhet-Mathias and Craig LeCesne. SJSU won the tip and the game went underway in Las Vegas.

SJSU made it rain with buckets early in the first half. Brae Ivey buried one from deep, which was a bright spot even though the Spartans trailed 8-7 at the first media timeout. The Spartans continued to trail at the second media timeout 18-11.

But the Spartans chipped back with back-to-back buckets by Richard Washington and Zach Chappell, and as a result, SJSU cut the deficit to 23-18 midway through the first.

The Beavers continued to lead 28-20 at the under-8 timeout, which wasn’t good for the Spartans, but at least they knew OSU was going to be a tough test. SJSU trailed 45-24 at the break.

Things didn’t get any better for the Spartans, who trailed the Beavers 78-35 with seven and a half minutes left in the second half. OSU outscored SJSU 33-11 at the time, thanks to buckets by Sean Miller-Moore and Payton Dastrup. Miller-Moore also threw down a windmill dunk to make it 83-38 Beavers with under four minutes remaining.

Just minutes before the shot clock winded down, SJSU welcomed back Caleb Simmons, who returned to the hardwood after missing all last season and the first six games this season due to an injury. Also, Sam Japhet-Mathias made the most out of his first start as a Spartan with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

SJSU lost to OSU by a final score of 83-48. The Spartans fell to 3-4, while the Beavers improved to 6-1.

The Spartans head to Los Angeles to take on the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, December 1 at 5 pm PST. The game will be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Networks.