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Kings use team effort to down Pistons 112-102

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings were back home on Thursday night to host the Detroit Pistons. For the Kings, they desperately needed a win to bounce back from the worst loss of the season. On Tuesday, the Kings had a 21-point lead going into halftime. However, those points would not hold up against the worst team in NBA as the Kings would lose the game 115-111. The Pistons came into Thursday nights game also coming off a tough loss to the LA Lakers 113-100. The tip-off was set for 7 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out strong. Lead by De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield for a combined 15 points the Kings scored 34 to take an early lead. The Pistons, on the other hand, seemed to being the same game that cost them in LA. The Pistons’ sluggish play on the second day of a back to back wasn’t unexpected, but disappointing nonetheless. Blake Griffin, the Pistons’ arguably best player, was out for a rest day which showed early on.

In the second quarter, it was more of the same from both sides. The Kings managed to put up 31 compared to the Pistons’ 27–three of which came at the buzzer to end the first half. Notably good performances for the Pistons in the first half were Stanley Johnson and Langston Galloway, who combined for 17 points. For the Kings, they had five players who had eight or more points for the half. Those five were Iman Shumpert, Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox, and Yogi Ferrell. The first half ended with the Kings up 65-48.

Headed into the third, the Kings clearly had the advantage, and they didn’t waste it. The Kings didn’t do enough to further the lead, but they were able to keep the game exactly where it was going to the half. The Kings and Pistons both scored 26 points to keep the Kings 17-point lead intact. Through the third, the leading scorer in the game was Hield with 18 points. Heading into the fourth, the game appeared to be everything but over with the Kings leading 91-74.

In the fourth, that prediction would come true. The Kings managed to score 21 points to put the Pistons in the ground for the second straight night in California. The Kings played well coming off a tough loss to the Suns earlier in the week. Hopefully, this signals a rebound from the poor basketball the Kings have been playing of late as they look to get back on track. The Kings now sit at 21-21 while the Pistons drop to 17-23.

The Kings host the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night at 7:00 PM PST.

Former San Jose State offensive coordinator named to College Football Hall of Fame

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

Dennis Erickson’s last stop as an assistant football coach was at San Jose State for the 1979 through 1981 seasons before a long, successful career as a head coach. Even though it’s just the first week of the New Year, Erickson will be planning a December 10th visit in New York City for an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Erickson and Joe Taylor, who won 70.6% of his games and four national championships at historically black colleges, are the two head coaches joining 13 players to be named to the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame class.

During his three seasons at SJSU, Erickson oversaw one of the most potent offenses in college football with Jack Elway as the Spartans head coach. SJSU had a winning season in each of his three years and was the 1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association champion.

With Ed Luther at quarterback in 1979, SJSU was second nationally in passing offense and seventh in total offense. The next two seasons with Steve Clarkson at quarterback, SJSU was 10th in passing offense. The 1981 team included future NFL players: halfback Gerald Willhite, wide receivers Stacey Bailey, Mervyn Fernandez and Tim Kearse, and tight end Tracy Franz, was sixth in Division I-A in scoring offense.

Erickson came to SJSU after assistant coaching positions at Idaho and Fresno State. His first college head coaching position was at Idaho from 1982-85 followed by stops at Wyoming in 1986, Washington State from 1987-88, Miami (Fla.) from 1989-94, Oregon State from 1999-2002, back to Idaho in 2006 and Arizona State from 2007-11. Erickson’s teams were declared national champions for the 1989 and 1991 seasons and won six conference titles. He was a two-time national Coach of the Year and compiled a head coaching record of 179-96-1.

Erickson also was a head coach in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks (1995-98) and the San Francisco 49ers (2003-04). He was the only one of six FBS coaches on the ballot named to the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame class. Taylor was the coach selected from the Divisional ballot covering NCAA Divisions I-AA (now Football championship Subdivision — FCS), II, III and NAIA.

Coaches are eligible for consideration after 10 seasons as a head coach and achieving a winning percentage of .600 or higher for a career of 100 or more games.

Former SJSU head coaches John Ralston (1993-96) and Fielding Yost (1900) and halfback Willie Heston from the 1898 through 1900 Spartan teams are enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame based in Atlanta, Ga.

Warriors come out on top against Kings 127-123

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, still smarting from a one-point loss to the Houston Rockets last Thursday night, traveled to Sacramento to face the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center Saturday evening.

The Kings, under coach Dave Joerger, are no longer the sad sack Kings. Joerger has worked wonders with his young team. They entered the game with a record of 19-19, and they had split the two games played against the Warriors so far this season. The Kings play an uptempo game and love to make three-point shots. The Warriors knew that they would have their hands full with the Kings and that what exactly what transpired during the game. The two teams set an NBA record with 41 three-point shots made in a game. The Warriors made 21, and the Kings made 20. The Warriors prevailed 127-123 as they figured out a way to play defense in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors, with the score tied at 22 in the first quarter, went on a 15-0 run to lead 37-22. The Kings woke up, but the Warriors still finished the quarter leading 43-29. The Kings outscored the Warriors 40-27 in the second quarter and trailed by one 70-69 at the end of the first half. Both teams were making three-point shots. The Warriors connected 12 times, and the Kings made 11. Steph Curry knocked down four three-pointers. Klay Thompson and Quinn Cook each had three. The Kings’ Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovich each had three. Klay Thompson had 17, Kevin Durant 13, and Quinn Cook added 10. Bogdanovic finished the first half with 15, Justin Jackson 12, and Nemanja Bjelica 10.

The Kings continued their torrid shooting in the third period. They outscored Golden State 34-26 to end the period with a seven-point advantage 101-96.  The Kings’ Buddy Hield made five threes in the period, and his total for the game was eight, which was a career-high for him. The Warriors continued to commit turnovers while the Kings did not at this point in the game.

The Warriors had their work cut out for them if they wanted to win. They had to play defense, and someone had to step up and lead the offense. The Warriors showed the Kings why they are the reigning NBA champs as they held the prolific Kings offense to just 20 points in the fourth quarter. Curry showed the Kings why he was awarded two NBA MVP awards as he scored 20 of the teams 31 points in the final 12 minutes to lead the Warriors to victory.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors improved to 26-14 while Sacramento dropped to 19-20. Curry led the Warriors with 42 points, and he connected on 10 3-point shots. Durant had 29 point, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists. He made three threes, too. Klay Thompson had 20 and three threes. Quinn Cook had 10. Draymond Green finished with 12 points, 7 boards, and 7 assists.

The Kings’ Buddy Hield finished with 32. He made eight threes, but the Warriors throttled him in the fourth quarter as he failed to make a three in the final stanza. Justin Jackson, coming off the bench for Sacramento, ended the night with 28 points. He knocked down five threes. Bogdanovic had 17, Willie Cauley-Stein 14 points and 13 rebounds. Nemanja Bjelica had 12 for Sacramento.

The two teams set an NBA record for threes made in a game. The Warriors were 21 for 47 while the Kings were 20 for 36. The Warriors’ defense had 5 steals and 8 blocks. The Warriors turned the ball over 13 times. The Kings committed just one turnover in the first half, but the Warrior defense caused them to commit 7 turnovers in the last 24 minutes of play.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the New York Knicks Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Sharks add drama to their cruise in 5-4 win over the Avalanche

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Photo credit: @PR_NHL

By Pearl Allison Lo

The San Jose Sharks were clicking on all cylinders, but the slumping Colorado Avalanche (0-4-2 in last six) added bite to their game in a close match at the end at the Pepsi Center Wednesday.

The Sharks kept up their four goals apiece in their last four games and held Colorado to just one goal until 16:49 of the third. San Jose also scored twice on the power play and kept Colorado scoreless in three chances until 16:36 of the third.

However, in the morning, the Sharks announced that Radim Simek was diagnosed with a concussion following the hit he incurred Monday night. San Jose went down another defenseman in the first when Justin Braun fell and went to the lockers with what looked like a hurt right leg. There might be hope though, as Paul Gackle, @GackleReport on Twitter, tweeted: ‘…Braun walked out of #SJSharks room without help. Says he tweaked his right knee. Doesn’t think it’s serious, will get it looked at tomorrow.’  

The 2019 NHL All-Star Game participants were released before the game and the home team will be represented by Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski.

Getting back to Wednesday night’s game, San Jose spread out the scoring between five players. Pavelski and Burns each had one goal and two assists, giving them points in four straight games, Joonas Donskoi’s goal earned him a four-game points streak, Evander Kane a three-game and Lukas Radil scored his second goal in as many games. For the Avalanche, Tyson Jost had two goals.

Just over one minute into the game, the Sharks received a power play. Colorado blocked two shots before Pavelski went top left corner from the middle of the right circle to kick off the scoring.

After, the Avalanche outshot the Sharks 5-0 before racking up a goal themselves. Matt Calvert went top right corner from the inner left circle at 8:20.

It would be four goals later though, until Colorado scored again.

 With San Jose already on the power play again at 15:52 of the first, the advantage moved to 5-on-3 with 3:27 left when Pavelski drew a high stick. The Sharks eventually capitalized. After a pass from Karlsson on his right, Burns struck net to push San Jose ahead.

Carl Soderberg had a shorthanded breakaway chance with seconds left, but was denied.

In the second, Tyson Barrie was first to the puck but missed the touch. Kane retrieved the disk as he joined the party at 4:15.

Just over two minutes later, Donskoi made it 4-1 with a wraparound goal and also retired goalie Phillip Grubauer, bringing in a fresh opposing goalie in the form of Pavel Francouz. It was his second NHL game. His last time in net was December 22.

The Sharks got their biggest lead when Radil put in his second goal in as many games at 16:33, but Jost took it back just 16 seconds later.

The Avalanche’s momentum continued when Karlsson took a tripping call in less than 30 seconds, but San Jose was able to keep them at lengths. The tension did not end there though, as Barclay Goodrow also took a penalty when the horn blew, to give a boost starting out in the third frame.

A Joakim Ryan turnover led to Barrie’s goal at 12:12 of the third and Jost redirected a shot from the point on the power play at 16:36 to pull the game to within one. With the extra attacker from an empty net, Nathan MacKinnon made a last ditch effort right at the buzzer.   

Up Next: The Sharks fly back home for three contests, beginning with a later than normal start 8:00 pm game on Saturday versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.  

Kings drop first game of 2019, fall to Trail Blazers 113-108

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — First off, Happy New Years from Sacramento!

The Sacramento Kings looked to topple the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday evening at Golden One Center. Today, the Kings were looking to brush off a disappointing loss to the Lakers that took place on Sunday in LA. The Trail Blazers came into the game this evening with a 21-16 record against the Kings’ 19-17 record. The tip-off was set for an earlier 6:00 PM PST.

The beginning of this game had a very “tired” feel to it as neither team could hold onto the ball leading to very sloppy first few minutes. Five minutes into the game, the Kings led 11-9, thanks to Buddy Hield’s five points. In the ensuing minutes, the game remained close. Buddy Hield added eight more points to his total, bringing his first-quarter total to 13. Maurice Harkless and Damian Lillard scored seven points apiece to lead the Trail Blazers to a first quarter advantage 26-25.

In the second quarter, the Kings tried to keep the game close. Halfway through the quarter, the score was 42-36 as the Kings trailed. The Kings didn’t do a good job of that. The Trail Blazers managed to rack up 64 points in the first half compared to the Kings’ 50. The Kings needed to come out strong in the third quarter if they wanted a shot at winning this game. Leading the way for the Trail Blazers was Jusuf Nurkic and CJ McCollum with a combined 27 points in the first half. Hield was arguably the only reason the Kings were remotely in the game as he put up 19 first-half points and 5-6 from downtown. The score at the half was 64-50 with the Trail Blazers on top.

In the third quarter, the Kings came out strong. Four minutes through the quarter, the Kings cut the deficit to 66-59. The Kings continued to keep the game tight. With four minutes remaining in the quarter, the Kings trailed only 73-70. Harry Giles capped the third off with a jumper just outside the paint to make it 83-77 Kings headed into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings appeared to be on track to do what they have so many times this season. Win after a double-digit deficit late. Just shy of four minutes after the fourth quarter began the Kings had come from a 83-77 deficit to an 89-85 lead with 8:42 left to go in the game. As if Kings fans needed more drama this season, the end of this game was heart-stopping. Thanks to Damien Lillard, the game was tied with roughly six seconds remaining. De’Aaron Fox had the ball and pulled up for a game-winning jumper just inside the arc, and missed. The game went to overtime with the Trail Blazers getting the first possession with the game tied at 103 apiece.

In overtime, the Kings would score first after Bogdan Bogdanovic made two free throws after a foul. The game was 105-103 with 4:20 remaining. Lillard was subsequently fouled from behind the line and made all three attempts to give the Trail Blazers back the lead 106-105. At this point, the Trail Blazers hit a couple clutch shots, and the Kings couldn’t buy a basket leading to a 113-108 game with 13.6 seconds remaining. That proved to be the final score.

The Kings continue their homestand as they host the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, January 3 at 7:00 PM PST.

San Jose State opens up conference play Wednesday vs. Fresno State

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball concluded their nonconference portion of the schedule with a lowly 3-9 record. The Spartans now turn their attention to Mountain West teams for conference play, starting this Wednesday against the Fresno State Bulldogs. Justin Allegri will have the play-by-play call for the Mountain West Network and KLIV 1590 AM.

Here’s what you need to know before Wednesday’s rivalry game:

Game #13
Fresno State (9-3) at San Jose State (3-9)
Wednesday, January 2 at 7:00 pm PT
Event Center (5,000)
San Jose, Calif.

Live Stats
Fans can view live stats of all the San Jose State men’s basketball games, home and away, by accessing the “Live Stats” feature at www.sjsuspartans.com. Click on the link on the men’s basketball schedule page to follow the action.

What would a Spartans’ win mean?
SJSU is 0-5 in conference openers since joining the league prior to the 2013-14 season. Two of those losses were at the hands of Nevada while the other three were against Utah State, including last season in a 86-72 loss in Logan, Utah. A win would also be the fourth of the season, tying last season’s overall total.

On the other had, Fresno State has a 1-5 record in MW openers.

Peace out, 2018! 
After two close and promising losses at Stanford and Cal, the Spartans closed out the nonconference slate on a bitter note as they were held to a season-low 45 points in a 75-45 loss at Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif. SJSU finished the nonconference slate 3-9.

Sharpest shooter in the west (and nation)
Sophomore Noah Baumann ranks second in the nation in three-point FG percentage. He is touting a 56.6% clip on 30-of-53 shooting. He is also averaging 2.5 3’s per game, which ranks in the top-10 in the MW.

Baumann is averaging 14.8 points per game in the last five games and is touting a gaudy 60% clip from 3-point range (18-30).

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. The 6’10″ forward is averaging a team-high 13.4 points per game and ranks fourth in the MW with 9.2 rebounds per game. He also ranks 42nd nationally in rebounds per game and 39th in defensive rebounds per game. He has 5 double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the MW and has scored in double figures in 11-of-12 games, including 10 straight.

Staff shakeup
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau made some changes to his staff in the offseason as he brought in former NC State All-American Julius Hodge as an assistant coach and promoted director of operations Ryan Cooper to assistant coach.

Oh my, Oumar! 
Senior center Oumar Barry is playing his best basketball as a Spartan as of late. Against Bethune-Cookman, he finished with a then-career-high 13 points and 7 rebounds. He followed that up with his most dominating performance at SJSU as he recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, his first-career game with double digit rebounds. Barry also blocked 2 shots and was 7-of-10 at the free throw line to help the Spartans to a win.

Barry followed up with another double-double against Stanford (15 points, 10 rebound). After playing 38 career games without recording a double-double, he now has 2 in the last 4 games.

Barry then scored a career-high 18 points before fouling out with 4:36 to play at Cal and led the team with 11 points at Saint Mary’s. In his last 5 games, he leads the team with 14.8 points per game and is averaging 7.6 rebounds.

Longstanding rivalry
The longstanding rivalry between Fresno State and San Jose State will see the 172nd game of the series played on Wednesday. The series dates back to Dec. 18, 1916 in a 58-32 Spartan victory. Since then, SJSU has posted a 53-31 record in home games.

The Bulldogs enter the game currently third in the MW standings at 9-3. Their last game was a 64-60 loss to Utah Valley, which snapped a 7-game win streak, among the longest in the nation at the time. A pair of Bulldogs are averaging 18 points per game in Braxton Huggins and Deshon Taylor, ranking in the top-6 in the MW scoring standings. Fresno State is led by first year head coach Justin Hutson.

Stanford and Pitt set to face off in Sun Bowl on Monday

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By: Ana Kieu

Sure, the playoff semifinals are set for Saturday, but that isn’t the end of the 2018 bowl season. There are two full days of bowl games set for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, respectively. In the Sun Bowl, it’s an ACC and Pac-12 showdown as Pat Narduzzi’s Pitt Panthers meet David Shaw’s Stanford Cardinal at the University of Texas at El Paso on New Year’s Eve.

Here’s what you need to know about the Sun Bowl.

Spread
Stanford -4.5

Over/Under
52

Analyses
Stanford is the clear favorite, while Pitt is the obvious underdog. Pitt started out the season just 3-4 before pulling off four straight conference wins to win a division title and a trip to the ACC Championship Game. The Panthers’ rushing attack was dominant, as Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison combined for over 2,200 yards and 20 touchdowns.  The backs had their fair share of explosive plays, which helped drive an offense that didn’t have quite the passing game it hoped with quarterback Kenny Pickett. The Panthers’ problems came on defense when they were prone to giving up the explosive plays and ranked 106th in Bill Connelly’s Isolated Points Per Play metric with 1.26.

As you can see, that’s not good news against a Cardinal offense that ranked 19th with a similar metric of 1.28. The Cardinal faded away from the limelight following a 4-0 start when they coughed up four losses in a five-game skid. But Shaw’s team finished strong with three straight wins heading into the Sun Bowl. Running back Bryce Love didn’t have the Heisman-caliber season that we had hoped for, but quarterback K.J. Costello stepped up in his absence. Costello threw for 3,435 yards for the third-highest single season total in Stanford history, trailing just Andrew Luck and Steve Stenstrom. Costello must continue that kind of output in the Sun Bowl as Love decided to skip the Sun Bowl to prepare for the 2019 NFL Draft.

Like the Panthers, the Cardinal have weak points of their own. This year, it was their defense. We’re used to seeing stout units from Shaw and company, but this year’s team ranked 51st in S&P+ and struggled against the run and pass. Still, Stanford has a slight edge in record against the spread as they’ve gone 6-3-1 as a favorite this season, while Pitt has gone just 5-4 as an underdog. I think the Panthers’ running game can prevent the Sun Bowl from getting out of hand, but I doubt the Panthers can stop the Cardinal’s passing attack.

San Jose State looks to rebound at Cal on Friday night

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball is set to take on its second straight Pac-12 opponent this Friday night as they take on the Cal Golden Bears inside Haas Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 7 pm PT. Justin Allegri will have the radio call for KLIV 1590 AM, while Kate Scott and Mike Montgomery will broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.

Game #11
San Jose State (3-7) at Cal (4-6)
Friday, Dec. 21, 7:00 pm PT
Haas Pavilion (11,877)
Berkeley, Calif.

Live stats
Fans can view live stats of all SJSU men’s basketball games, home and away, by accessing the “Live Stats” feature at www.sjsuspartans.com. Click on the link on the men’s basketball schedule page to follow the action.

What would a win mean?
SJSU is looking for their first win over Cal since 1977. They are also looking for their first win over a Pac-12 opponent since defeating Washingtong State 88-76 on Nov. 27, 2016. A win would also be the fourth of the season, tying the team’s 2017-18 total for the whole year.

Heads held high
Despite falling to Stanford 78-73 in their last outing, the Spartans have a lot of momentum on their side after playing one of their best games of the Jean Prioleau era. SJSU shot 45.6 percent for the game and outshot the Cardinal 48.3-45.2 in the second half. The Spartans held the lead for all, but :02 seconds in the first half and regained the lead in the second half until the 12:15 mark. Late turnovers and several missed free throws proved costly down the stretch as the Spartans fell by five.

Michael Steadman and Oumar Barry became the first Spartan duo since Ryan Welage and Brandon Clarke to record a double-double in the same game. Welage and Clark achieved the feat against Washington State on Nov. 27, 2016 in Pullman.

Five players (Steadman, Barry, LeCense, Ivey and Baumann) scored in double-figures. It was the second time SJSU had five players do so this season, and first agaist a D1 opponent.

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. The 6’10″ forward is averaging a team-high 13.5 points per game and ranks fourth in the Mountain West with 9.4 rebounds per game. He also ranks 35th nationally in both total and defensive rebounds per game. Steadman has four double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the conference and has scored in double figures in 9-of-10 games, including seven straight.

Staff shakeup
Prioleau made some changes to his staff in the offseason as he brought in former NC State All-American Julius Hodge as an assistant coach and promoted director of operations Ryan Cooper to assistant coach.

Another SJSU-Cal meeting
SJSU and Cal have met 22 times with the Golden Bears holding a a 19-3 advantage, including a 19-1 mark in Berkely. The teams last met on Dec. 11, 2011 in an 81-36 blowout loss. The Spartans are looking for their fourth win in the series and first since Dec. 27, 1977 (76-74).

The Golden Bears, led by second year head coach Wyking Jones, will be facing their second straight MW opponent after falling to Fresno State 95-73 on Dec. 19. Cal is 4-6 overall with wins over Hampton (80-66), Santa Clara (78-66), San Diego State (89-83) and Cal Poly (67-66).

Big game Baumann
Sophomore Noah Baumann is once again displaying his impressive 3-point shooting ability this season after finishing in the top 40 in the MW in 3-point percentage as a freshman. He is currently 22-for-40 from 3-point range (.550) and ranks second in the MW in 3-point percentage. He also ranks 10th in the conference with 2.2 3’s per game. Baumann is averaging 15.3 PPG in the last three outings (Bethune-Cookman, NAU, Stanford).

Baumann was a key cog for the Spartans in their two wins over B-CU and NAU. Against B-CU, after the team went 0-10 from 3-point range in the opening half, Baumann drained 3-of-5 attempts in the second half and finished with a then-season-high 12 points to help lead the Spartans to a victory.

Baumann followed up with his best performance as a Spartan in the win over NAU. He scored a career-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 18 in the second half to lead the Spartans to victory. He finished 5-of-6 from 3-point range and made four free throws in the final :37 seconds to close out the game.

Oumar coming on strong
Senior center Oumar Barry is playing his best basketball as a Spartan as of late. Against Bethune-Cookman, he finished with a then-career-high 13 points and seven rebounds. He followed that up with his most dominating performance at SJSU as he recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, his first-career game with double digit rebounds. Barry also blocked two shots and was 7-of-10 at the free throw line to help the Spartans to a victory.

Barry followed up with another double-double against Stanford (15 points, 10 rebounds). After playing 38 career games without recording a double-double, he now has two in the last two games.

What’s next on the Bay Area road trip?
After playing at Cal, the Spartans will bookend their nonconference slate on Dec. 29 against Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif., completing their road trip against Bay Area opponents.

San Jose State gets a bunch of work done on Early National Signing Day

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By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose State University football team added unprecedented firepower to its offense and passionate playmakers to its defense at the start of the early National Letter of Intent signing period for the 2019 season.

For the first time, SJSU signed a quarterback that passed for more than 100 touchdowns and 10,000 yards in a high school career, inked a running back prospect who rushed for more than 50 touchdowns as a junior and a senior, and added four players that averaged more than 20 yards a catch in their senior seasons. Two of those big play pass catchers are heading to the defensive side, according to Spartans head coach Brent Brennan.

“I was showing our players this week the highlight tapes of these players and they were blown away how good they are. This group of playmakers makes us all excited about what we’re doing for the future,” says Brennan, who is entering his third season as the Spartans’ head coach.

“We’re adding some great young men to our program. Part of our criteria is figuring out if they love football, how hard they work, digging and diving into their character. All the assistant coaches did a great job putting this group together. It’s got a nice mix of young playmakers on offense to balance out some of our skill positions that are currently manned by upperclassmen.”

“And we were able to add some good pieces in terms of the physical part of the game in the offensive line and linebacker.”

13 players signed to become a member of the SJSU program as early as the 2019 spring semester. Nine of them are slated for offensive positions, two are linebacker candidates, and two are ticketed to defensive back roles. Current tight end Derrick Deese, Jr., who redshirted the 2018 season, signed a SJSU scholarship offer.

Quarterback Alec Trujillo completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 11,671 yards and 116 touchdowns and ran for 19 touchdowns in one of the most productive high school careers in California’s Central Section first for Exeter High and then for San Joaquin Memorial of Fresno, which played in the 2018 CIF Division 2-A championship game. He threw 50 touchdown passes in his senior year alone.

“Alec has been an incredible player throughout his career and it’s exciting he’s chosen to be with us. We identified him early in the recruiting process. He throws a fantastic ball. He’s got good feet. He just lit it up throwing for San Joaquin Memorial,” said Brennan.

Running back Adi Anderson from McClymonds High in Oakland is one of two Spartan signees to return home with a 2018 CIF state championship. He averaged 10.8 yards per carry on just over eight carries a game and still rushed for 21 touchdowns as a senior. That was on top of the 31 rushing touchdowns he scored the year before playing for Hayward’s Moreau Catholic High.

Wide receivers Malikhi Miller of El Cerrito High, Isaiah Holiness of Redlands East Valley High and Jamar Simpson of Rancho Verde High, earned reputations as touchdown terrors to their opponents. Miller averaged nearly 29 yards a reception in his last two high school seasons and scored a touchdown about once every third time he caught a pass.

Holiness caught 163 passes for 2,293 yards and 18 touchdowns and was even more dangerous as a return specialist. He averaged 47.4 yards a kickoff return and 30.7 in three varsity seasons. As a senior, Simpson averaged 27.4 yards a catch and scored 13 times on just 36 receptions.

“You’re always looking for guys who can change a game when the ball is in their hands. At almost 11 yards a carry, obviously good things happen when Adi gets the ball. We’re hoping he can be a home run hitter for us. Jamar Simpson has great acceleration, great playmaking ability,” says Brennan.

“You watch Malikhi’s tape. He’s got this great young body and I think he can be that big body wideout who can control a game with. Isaiah Holiness is a slash type of player. He’s dynamic as a runner, receiver, and he’s returned kicks for touchdowns.”

“I’m excited there are so many guys who signed with us that played in (high school) state championship games. They come from winning programs. They know what it takes to win.”

Trujillo, Anderson, defensive back candidate Stan Livingstone, and offensive linemen Jelani Newman from Saguaro High, and first-team California Community College All-America Scott Breslin from Ventura College are incoming Spartans that played in a 2018 state championship game.

Offensive linemen Justin Scrempos from Milpitas High and graduate transfer Quinn Oseland from the University of Minnesota are two more signees to play on state championship teams. Scrempos was a force on the 2017 Vikings that won the CIF Division 4A Championship, averaging 41.1 points a game. Oseland played on two Sacred Heart Griffin High, Class 5A state championship teams.

Cameron Hanson from Southwestern College, a second-team All-Southern Conference selection and two-time bowl game winner, and Jordan Cobbs, credited with 26.0 tackles for loss his last two seasons at San Leandro High, are a pair of linebackers joining the Spartans.

Safety B.J. Johnson, the 2018 Redwood League Co-MVP from Montgomery High, rounds out SJSU’s signees on the first day of the current NIH signing period.

“The recruiting process has really changed with the early signing date. The coaching staff did a great job being organized at the end of the season. We spent a lot of time during the season recruiting, watching film, calling, texting and being on social media with recruits, writing letters, continuing to build relationships because the early signing day has been moved up six weeks,” concluded Brennan, who will have Livingstone and Oseland available to participate in 2019 spring practice set to begin on March 3.

Carr breaks Gannon’s record in 30-16 loss to Bengals

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Photo credit: silverandblackpride.com

By Jeremy Kahn

It seems that the Oakland Raiders are not able to put two wins in a row together at any time this season.

Joe Mixon ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Cincinnati Bengals to a 30-16 victory over the Raiders at Paul Brown Stadium.

With the loss, the Raiders have not won back-to-back games this season.

The win by the Bengals stopped their five-game losing streak, the third-worst slump in the 16 seasons under head coach Marvin Lewis.

Mixon scored on a 15-yard touchdown run with just 4:04 remaining in the game, gave the running back his second consecutive 100-yard game and the Bengals won for the first time since October.

The Bengals announced the attendance as 44,568 for their last home game of the season, as they achieved the second smallest attendance in the 19 seasons that the Bengals have been playing in Paul Brown Stadium.

Jeff Driskel, playing in place of the injured Andy Dalton went 14-for-33 for 130 yards with one touchdown and an interception.

Tyler Boyd caught four passes for the Bengals, as he gained a team-leading 38 yards for the now 6-8 Bengals.

Derek Carr went 21-for-38 for 263 yards with a touchdown, as he broke Rich Gannon’s team record for pass attempts without an interception.

During the 2001 season, Gannon threw 277 passes without an interception and Carr broke the 17-year old record with his 14th pass of the afternoon.

The streak almost ended on the Raiders’ first possession, as Shawn Williams dropped a pass that was thrown right to him.

Doug Martin led the Raiders in rushing with nine carries for 39 yards, while Jordy Nelson led the Raiders with six catches for 88 yards.

Jalen Richard caught five passes for 67 yards, and also carried the ball four times for nine yards in the 14-point loss, as the Raiders saw their record fall to 3-11 on the season and 1-6 on the road.

NOTES: Kelechi Osemele missed his second straight game with a toe injury and Gabe Jackson was unable to go, as he inactive due to an elbow injury. Former Massillon High School and Ohio State Buckeyes Defensive Back Gareon Conley suffered a concussion in the game and will be re-evaluated.

UP NEXT: After an eight-day layoff, the Raiders will return to the field on Monday night December 24, as the Denver Broncos come to the Coliseum. In their previous meeting on September 16, the Broncos defeated the Raiders 20-19 at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.