Category: San Jose State Spartans

San Jose State Beats Hampton 71-52 In The Paradise Jam Tournament

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San Jose State Spartans guard Alvaro Cardenas (13) takes a jump shot against the Hampton University Pirates at University of Virgin Islands in St Thomas on Mon Nov 20, 2023 (San Jose State University Spartans photo)

Monday, November 20th, 2023

By Troy Ewers 

In the final game of the Paradise Jam tournament San Jose State faced off against Hampton University at the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas and the Spartans won by a decisive margin. 71-52 SJSU. The reason this game was such a blowout was because the Spartans got the best from their star players. 

Tibet Gorener, Trey Anderson, Myron Amey Jr., and Alvaro Cardenas all went crazy, especially Cardenas. Cardenas was the leading scorer with 23 points and he was 50% from the field. Adrame Diongue was one point and one rebound away from a double double and even though the Spartans were out played on the boards by Hampton, a key for SJSU was points off turnovers, 22 points. 

Hampton only scored 19 points in the 2nd half which won’t ever get you a win, but when SJSU scored 42 in that same half, it’s impossible to beat that. 

The next game for the Spartans will be back in San Jose against North Dakota State on November 27th and the Spartans are ready to get back to regular season play after spending the weekend in paradise.

San Jose State Beats Norfolk State 77-53 Thanks To Trey Anderson’s Double Double

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San Jose State University Spartans bench is elated with their most recent victory against Norfolk State at the University of Virgin Islands on Sat Nov 18, 2023 (photo by the San Jose State University)

Saturday, November 18th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas – Another game for the Paradise Jam tournament in University of Virgin Islands, it’s San Jose State against Norfolk State. Last game the Spartans had a great first half but abysmal second half. They hope to actually close out and finish the full game on top.

The first half started with an early 20-6 run from the Spartans and Coach Tim Miles felt even though that was a great start, his boys needed to close. “We didn’t close against Texas Tech, we didn’t close yesterday.”, Coach Miles said. The defense is stronger for SJSU than it was last game, but that couldn’t contain Norfolk State. Norfolk closes the gap with six at a point by crashing the boards, 18 rebounds, 12 of them on the defensive side of the ball. Coach Miles switched up his defense to a 1-3-1 and it changed the pace of Norfolk State’s offense and opened the gap back up for the Spartans with an 11-2 run in the last three minutes of the half. The score at the end of the half was 39-24 Spartans and the Spartans got good use of their prime time players Trey Anderson (11 points), Tibet Gorener (9 points), and Myron Amey Jr. (7 points). 

The second half was the close out that Coach Miles had been looking for for two games. The momentum continued for SJSU this half and it was brought together by great ball movement leading to scoring opportunities. It was a complete domination by the Spartans with not much to dissect. The Spartans win 77-53 with Trey Anderson messing around and getting a double double and we’re not talking In N Out Burger. Anderson’s 16 points and 10 rebounds, 4-7 from 3 point and MJ Amey Jr. with 15 points are the standouts this game and keys to this big tournament win. 

The next game for San Jose State is November 20th with the opponent unknown at the moment, but it’s the final game of the tournament for the Spartans before being back in San Jose for a game on November 27th against North Dakota State.

San Jose State Spartans Lose To Abilene Christian 77-71 After Wildcats Rally In Second Half

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Hard as they tried the San Jose State Spartans just couldn’t finish the job against the Abilene Christian Wildcats at the University of the Virgin Islands on Fri Nov 17, 2023 (photo by the San Jose State Spartans)

Friday, November 17th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

In the beautiful University of the Virgin Islands, the San Jose State Spartans avoid a rainy Bay Area on the beach competing in this Paradise Jam tournament against Abilene Christian. San Jose State this game needed to focus on three things if they were going to win and that’s ball control, hitting 3’s, and being quick, but not rushing.  They fell short to Abilene in a 77-71.

First half for the Spartans was them hitting on those key points. The flow of scoring came from a lot of shots being put on the board and the Spartans hit 56% from the field. The battle between the two point guards was a huge factor.

Alvaro Cardenas with seven points at half and three assists was able to direct traffic and MJ Amey Jr. with 12 points and four assists was able to create a gap in the score in a half that felt like it was within two points all half. 

The second half was the polar opposite of the first with SJSU only scoring 30 points in the second half. ACU closed the gap early on the half and with ten minutes left in the game even though San Jose State was able to tie it up, ACU got the lead right back with great post play.

San Jose State lost their flow in the second half especially with turnovers. The Spartans had seven turnovers, four of them in the second half, and ACU used it as an opening to take over the game. With 3:30 left in the Tibet Gorener hit a three that gave SJSU momentum in a back and forth final stretch and a two point lead.

The key stretch of this game was was the final 30 seconds, down two points, Gorener missed a three point shot (he was 3-9 from three this game) and after the review it was ruled a shot clock violation, because it didn’t hit the rim and that forced the Spartans to have to foul to save time, but the strategy was ineffective and ACU made each free throw ending the game with a score of 77-71 Albilene Christian wins in this game of the Paradise Jam tournament. 

Bad news, the Spartans lost a game they should’ve won, but let go. Good news is the team is by a beach, so it shouldn’t be hard to forget about this loss before the next game. That next game is in the Consolation bracket of this tournament November 18th against an unknown opponent at this moment, but the San Jose State Spartans have to figure out a way to close games when they can be so dominant in the first half.

San Jose State Spartans Lose To Texas Tech Red Raiders 56-42 After Second Half Turnovers

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Myron Amey Jr (0) walks off the floor for the San Jose State Spartans after a defeat to the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock TX on Sun Nov 12, 2023 (San Jose State Spartans photo)

Sunday, November 12th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

It’s the first road game for San Jose State and they face Texas Tech in the home of the Red Raiders. 

The 2-0 Spartans were prepared for the Red Raiders and focused on defense. Keeping Texas Tech and utilizing mismatches early. SJSU cut off the Red Raiders’ access to the paint and forced them to have to try to score from the outside.

On offense both teams weren’t hitting from the three point line, but the Spartans found a stride in the first half scoring in the paint. The game was close all first half, but Spartans Coach Tim Miles was adamant that his boys will win the battle in the key.

A battle Coach Miles wanted his team to win the most was on the boards, Adrame Diongue led the team with rebounds in the first, but the Red Raiders had 19 rebounds over the Spartans 17 rebounds and that battle shows why Coach Miles was so focused on it, because at halftime Texas Tech was up by one point, 22-21. 

The second half started with both teams trading leads. San Jose State’s ability to score on second chance points is phenomenal even though they only had six second chance points at the 11 minute mark in the second half. In the last five minutes Texas Tech had a six point lead and Spartans had to get back to what got them a lead in the first half, but turnovers were costing them and Texas Tech capitalized on the Spartans’ mistakes.

The Red Raiders went on a 13-2 run at one point and in the final minute Texas Tech was up 11 and let the clock run out, but not before hitting one last three to make it 56-42 and that was game. The Spartans main problem in this game was when they couldn’t get a run going, they tried to shoot threes and turned the ball over. The Red Raiders scored 19 points off of the Spartans 16 turnovers. 

It wasn’t easy, but Texas Tech pulled out and won making their record 2-0 and the Spartans go 2-1. San Jose State wanted this win, but they’ll get to forget about this loss in the U.S. Virgin Islands where they’ll be in the Paradise Jam tournament starting on November 17th. 

San Jose State reigns supreme in the Valley as they beat Fresno 42-18

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Photo courtesy of Titus Wilkinson. Head coach Brent Brennan lifts the Valley trophy (photo taken on 11/10/23).

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- The Spartans took on Fresno in the battle for the Valley Saturday night at CEFCU stadium.

The first quarter was as dominant as they come for San Jose State who came out the gate swinging.

It started off with a touchdown pass to Malikhi Miller that went for 25 yards getting the fans on their feet.

Fresno would respond with a field goal but the Spartans tacked onto their lead with another passing touchdown this time to Isaac Jernagin.

San Jose wasn’t done scoring in the first quarter as Kairee Robinson rushed one up the gut getting a four yard touchdown and making it a commanding 21-3 score.

In the second the good times kept rolling as Nick Nash caught what was already Chevan Cordeiro’s third touchdown pass of the night making it 28-3.

Later in the second quarter Fresno did show some life as they got a touchdown as Mac Dalena caught a deep shot making it 28-10.

That’s how the first half ended as San Jose State looked comfortably in the lead.

If there was any thought the that Fresno could come back that would be quickly be put to rest as Logan Fife threw a pick-six returned by Michael Dansby.

With the score now 35-10 the red that was originally peppered throughout CEFCU stadium slowly started to bleed out.

The fourth quarter was merely icing on the cake as Robinson got another rushing touchdown which was his 17th of the season.

Fresno would get a garbage time touchdown as Jalen Moss caught a pass from Fife to make it 42-18 which would end up being the final score.

San Jose State then rushed the field and grabbed the Valley trophy and held it high enjoying their fourth victory in a row.

Next game will be the Spartans final home game against San Diego State on November 18th at 7:30 p.m.

San Jose State Smashes Bethesda 117-72 To Go 2-0

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San Jose State Spartans and the Bethesda Flames battled it out in San Jose on Thu Nov 9, 2023 (San Jose State Spartans photo)

Thursday, November 9th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

It’s the second game of the season for the Spartans and it’s San Jose State facing off against the Bethesda Flames. This is a home game before they go to Texas Tech and then a tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Bethesda drove up from Anaheim in vans and showed up 3 hours before the game. 

The first half started with a dominant outing on offense with Tibet Gorener having nine of the Spartans first 11 points and holding a lead halfway through the first. The Spartans were scoring mostly in the paint and had second chance points that made the difference for them as the first half went on.

Bethesda tried to stay in the fold keeping the score as close as they could, but there weren’t enough runs for the Flames. With five minutes left in the half, Bethesda had cut the lead to eight and were looking to go on their first run.

The nine total turnovers SJSU had brought Bethesda within two points, but a 6-0 run from the Spartans in the last 1:22 of the half put them up going into the locker room 56-47. The biggest problem for Bethesda were fouls. The Flames had 13 team fouls and SJSU took full advantage of these opportunities making 13-15 free throws in the first half. 

The Spartans started the second half the way they were supposed to getting a 20 point lead 5 minutes into the half. The Flames hit a drought where for 4:39 they didn’t score a point and that was the halfway point of the half in the game.

SJSU went on a terror run leading by 32 with eight minutes left and Gorener leading the team in points with 26. It was a complete runaway for San Jose State, beating their season high score from last season that was also against Bethesda. This is the third most points in San Jose State basketball history and the game was well in the books, SJSU winning 117-72. 

The game after halftime was a complete blowout, but it was something that is going to give the Spartans a lot of confidence going to Lubbock, TX where SJSU will face Texas Tech on Saturday. The three standout players for SJSU were Gorrener with 26 points, Alvaro Cardenas with 14 points and 8 assists, and Trey Anderson with 13 points. The Spartans are 2-0 and look to keep this party going into this ongoing season.

SJSU mens basketball open up 2023-24 season with victory over UC Irvine 72-64

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Photo courtesy of Titus Wilkinson.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- The Spartans opened up their season with a solid victory over UC Irvine on their home court by a final of 72-64.

The first half was a rough one for San Jose shooting wise as they went 9-23 from the field while only hitting two three’s.

UC Irvine was able to shoot just a little better clicking at 10-25 from the field with only one three.

It was 24-24 at the end of the first half with head coach Tim Miles clearly not happy with his teams performance.

In the second half a completely different offense shown through for the blue-and-white as they dropped 48 points. There shooting was much better as they shot 14-27 from the field while going 5-13 from beyond the arch.

Similar to the first half UC Irvine was only able to knock down one three but did get 13 points from the free throw line.

A major stand out for the Spartans tonight was Trey Anderson who went 7-9 while getting 19 points. Tibet Goerner looked solid from three as he went 3-4 while also nabbing five rebounds.

The second half also saw San Jose get in some foul trouble as UC Irvine fought to get into the double bonus. The main culprits for the Spartans were Adrame Diongue with five fouls and William Humer with four.

The Spartans will look to remain undefeated as they take on Bethesda on Thursday at home at 8 p.m.

San Jose State Spartans Beat CSU East Bay 77-61 in an Exhibition Game

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The floor of Provident Credit Union Event Center in San Jose. The San Jose State Spartans hosted Cal State East Bay in an exhibition game on Sat Nov 4, 2023 (file photo from Sports Illustrated)

Saturday, November 4th, 2023

By Troy Ewers 

San Jose, CA – In the Event Center at San Jose State University it’s the SJSU Spartans against Cal State East Bay in an exhibition game and these two teams are ready to showcase their skills before this long basketball season. The Spartans won it 77-61 defeating visiting CSU East Bay at Provident Credit Union Event Center in San Jose.

The first half started off with CSU East Bay taking over the momentum of the half. Forward Grady Lewis led East Bay in points with eight and his eight points were a major part of what kept the momentum up. For San Jose State they played a good game on the perimeter, but the post offense was being clamped on by this East Bay defense.

When William Humer got in the game the post offense picked up and he led the Spartans in points with seven in the first half. San Jose State’s offense really turned on when free throws gave them a rally and the Spartans went on a 9-0 run for the last 2:13 of the half and when the first half ended 31-27 SJSU Spartans with a lot of energy radiating from the offense. 

The Spartans continued running off their momentum from the first half by taking it straight to CSU East Bay as the second half started. East Bay began using a tap defense that seemed like it was going to slow the Spartans down, but it didn’t.

Even with the pressure SJSU was running with the lead, holding down a 20 point lead halfway through the second half. The offense here was led by MJ Amey Jr. who whether it was at the free throw line or the three point line, he found ways to score (15 points).

The second half pressure kicked up for East Bay with a 9-0 run at one point that lasted a minute, but the Spartans were still fighting them off. The final three minutes of the game was a tad sloppy for the Spartans, but wasn’t sloppy enough to detour the lead they had. Latrell Davis, who only had three points in the first half, went crazy in the second half, getting to the line to keep SJSU up (13 points).

The final buzzer sounded and the final score was 77-61 San Jose State and this exhibition game was great practice for what the Spartans have ahead. The three standout stars for SJSU were MJ Amey Jr., William Humer, and Latrell Davis

Next game for SJSU is their season opener against UC Irvine on November 7th and it will be a home game for the Spartans.

Spartans spoil Rainbow Warriors’ Homecoming with 35-0 drubbing

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San Jose State Spartans Kairee Robinson (32) scores a first half touchdown against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at the Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu on Sat Oct 28, 2023 (AP News)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ October 28, 2023 

It was a homecoming for both sides Saturday as San Jose’s quarterback Chevan Cordeiro and kicker Kyler Halvorsen made their playing returns to The Aloha State, after transferring to the mainland team in 2022.

 The rivalry Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy remained with the Spartans in this Mountain West matchup. Both continued in their respective losing and winning streaks. It was a double loss for Hawai’i as they were held scoreless for the first time in 25 years and their Homecoming streak was snapped at five. 

Cordeiro passed 16/26 with two touchdowns for 251 yards. Running back Kairee Robinson rushed 17 times for 146 yards. averaging 8.6 yards per carry.

The game definitely did not go the way it started, with Cordeiro recovering his beginning fumble the only positive play. Halvorsen capped the drive by missing the field goal attempt.

The Warriors’ second drive did not look much better, but had a net positive two yards after third down.  Furthermore, Jalen Smith incurred an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which the Spartans took advantage of. San Jose converted nine straight times, twice on third down, with Quali Conley running through a wide open path thanks to his teammate’s blocking with 4:07 left. 

Hawai’i’s Isaiah Tufaga was able to force a fumble in between, but the Spartans recovered the next drive, scoring off four third-down conversions this time in the second quarter. Nick Nash made it 14-0 with 5:16 left as he caught the ball next to the left end line. At this point, San Jose had more than triple the time of the Warriors’ possession. 

In this one multi-touchdown quarter, the 21-0 scoring drive used a 35-yard pass to Charles Ross on third down to the red zone and two rushes by Robinson. Robinson’s second run ended with 38 seconds left as he entered the end zone easily. 

The Spartans just needed to convert once to light up the third quarter scoreboard, as they scored within the first five minutes this time. Robinson scored his second touchdown with a 52-yard run, as a multitude of black jerseys were unable to catch up, quadrupling San Jose’s lead.  

The Warriors’ had their best chance to put points on the board with 12:15 left in the third, when punter Matthew Shipley ended up his teams’ leading rusher. He converted a fake punt 17 yards on 4th-and-14 to put Hawai’i on the SJSU 33, after Kejuan Bullard Jr. was charged with a late hit penalty.  Nevertheless, after a play in between, Brayden Schager’s throw sailed past his receivers into the Spartans’  hands. 

San Jose converted their first fourth down with a 16-yard pass from Cordeiro to Nash. Hawai’i’s defense stepped up from this 13-yard line, preventing the Spartans from venturing outside of the red zone. 

However, the same could not be said for the Warriors’ following offensive drive. They converted six straight plays, but then Schager was called for intentional grounding and sacked by Soane Toia to end the third.  

San Jose did not leave the fourth empty handed, as Cordeiro tossed to Nash while evading defenders. With 6:45 left in the contest, the 35-0 would be the final score.

The Warriors replied by bringing in backup quarterback Jake Farrell for his first action this season. He completed three passes for 14 yards before an interception that resulted in the Spartans’ Andrew Jenkins’ unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

San Jose’s backup Jay Butterfield was able to get in some snaps as well.

Game notes: The Spartans will next play Fresno State November 11th at 7:30pm. 

Robinson’s hat trick helps San Jose State defeat New Mexico 52-24

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB

By Mary Anne

The San Jose State Spartans took on the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday. Thanks to Kairee Robinson’s hat trick, the Spartans snapped their three-game losing skid with a 52-24 win over the Lobos at University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M. San Jose State improved to 2-5, while New Mexico fell to 2-4.

The Spartans were in the house and on lock, but were unable to score first. The Lobos scored first. Luke Drzewiecki kicked a 41-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 5:06 left in the first quarter.

The Spartans trailed 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The Spartans evened the score to start the second quarter. Justin Stearns scored on a seven-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point to tie the game 7-7 at 14:20 of the second.

The Lobos regained the lead. Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for a seven-yard rushing touchdown. Luke Drzewiecki kicked an extra point to give the Lobos a 10-7 lead with 6:31 left in the second.

The Lobos’ lead was short-lived as the Spartans regained the lead. Kairee Robinson ran for a 35-yard rushing touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point to help the Spartans to a 14-10 lead with 4:23 left in the second.

The Lobos regained the lead again. Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for a four-yard rushing touchdown. Luke Drzewiecki kicked an extra point to make it a 17-14 game with just 31 seconds left in the second.

The Spartans trailed the Lobos 17-14 at the end of the first half.

The Spartans opened the second-half scoring. Spartans quarterback Chevan Cordeiro threw a touchdown pass to Kairee Robinson, who ran for a 55-yard rushing touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point for a 21-17 lead at 14:41 of the third quarter.

The Spartans added to their lead. Chevan Cordeiro threw a touchdown pass to Nick Nash, who ran for a 54-yard rushing touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point to make it 28-17 with 7:39 left in the third quarter. Halvorsen kicked a 39-yard field goal to extend the Spartans’ lead to 31-17 with 4:16 left in the third. Kairee Robinson ran for a 19-yard rushing touchdown to expand the Spartans’ lead to 38-17 with 3:05 left in the third.

The Spartans led 38-17 at the end of three quarters.

The Spartans scored first in the fourth quarter. Kairee Robinson ran for a 19-yard rushing touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point to give the Spartans a commanding 45-17 lead at 14:03 of the fourth.

The Spartans widened their lead late in the fourth quarter. Quali Conley ran for a three-yard rushing touchdown. Kyler Halvorsen kicked an extra point to make it 52-17 Spartans with 6:05 left in the fourth.

The Lobos had the last word, but it was too little, too late. D.J. Washington scored a 21-yard rushing touchdown off a pass from Lobos quarterback Devon Dampier. Luke Drzewiecki kicked an extra point to cut the Spartans’ lead to 52-24 with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter.

The Spartans defeated the Lobos 52-24.

Notes
A close-up of the Spartans’ Saturday uniforms can be found here.

Kairee Robinson’s 35-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter was his eighth of the regular-season and 21st of his career. Robinson has now scored in every game he has played in this season. Also, Robinson’s 19-yard rushing touchdown was his third of the game for the hat trick.

Up Next
The Spartans will return home to host the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, October 21, at 4:00 p.m. Pacific.