Sharks Pass Another Test, Win 4th Straight Over Division Leading Oilers 6-3

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mercurynews.com photo: San Jose Sharks’ Barclay Goodrow (23) fights against Edmonton Oilers’ Brandon Manning (26) in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019

By Jerry Feitelberg

If you’re looking for a definitive statement that the San Jose Sharks have officially hit their stride after an abysmal start, Tuesday night was perfect proof. The Sharks manhandled the Pacific Division leading Edmonton Oilers 6-3. 13 different Sharks had a point, with  goals coming from six different players. Martin Jones made 21 saves, but was beaten by Western Conference scoring leader Leon Draisaitl, linemate Zack Kassian and Sam Gagner. Connor McDavid was held to just one assist. Barclay Goodrow had a Gordie Howe hat trick for San Jose. 

The Sharks started the year 4-10-1 through 15 games, but have won four-straight. Each win in the Streak has been an improvement on the last,with the Sharks beating a Blackhawks team that had an equally difficult start, then barely hung on to win 6-5 against a bad Minnesota Wild squad. The shootout win against Nashville Saturday was impressive, with the Preds firmly in playoff position but the win Tuesday solidified the Sharks as being able to beat good teams handedly, a calling card of past successful iterations of the team teal.

Brent Burns opened the scoring after his shot rang around the inside of the crossbar 4:01 into play, then Evander Kane tapped a rebound home from a Logan Couture shot for his team-leading 11th goal 7:27 in.

Patrick Marleau buzzed by goalie Mike Smith, tipping a Tim Heed shot past the goalie for a 3-0 lead and his first goal of the season not against the Chicago Blackhawks (fourth overall) at the 11:12 mark.

Barclay Goodrow got the toughest leg of the Gordie Howe, scoring his fifth goal of the year 1:26 into the second period. Draisaitl broke up the shutout just under halfway through the game, but the real excitement came later in the middle period.

With a little over five minutes left in the second,Tomas Hertl collided with Oilers wunderkind Connor McDavid, causing the wires to cross in linemate Zack Kassian. Kassian went after Hertl, a scrum ensued and in the aftermath Goodrow wound up dropping the mitts with Matt Benning. Benning also received a game misconduct for not having his fight strap tethered down and Hertl and Kassian got a penalty each.

When Hertl exited the box, he struck gold though. Erik Karlsson found him rushing to the Oilers net front and fired a perfect pass diagonally to Hertl at the goal mouth. While Hertl didn’t get all of the puck, he did get enough of it to slip it through Smith for a 5-1 Sharks lead 17:34 into the period.

Kassian and Sam Gagner scored goals in garbage time in the third, but sandwiched in between Timo Meier scored his fifth goal of the year. Goodrow picked up the secondary assist, netting him his Gordie Howe. 

San Jose hits the road to face the Anaheim Ducks. After that, they’ll return to face the Detroit Red Wings Saturday night at home.

Kapler named as Giants manager in second MLB stint at the helm

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@SFGiants photo: San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler joins the Giants as this will be his second team after managing the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018 and 2019

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — When the weekend began, San Francisco Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi was trying to set the table for the foreseeable future.

Zaidi cleared one plate, as he hired Chicago Cubs Assistant General Manager Scott Harris to replace Bobby Evans, who let go during the 2018 season and now he set another place at the table with the naming of former Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler as the teams next manager.

“Our top priority in the next manager was to find someone who can build strong relationships with our players, coaches, front office and fans, and someone who has the drive and desire to win,” Zaidi said in a statement. “… In my personal experience in working with Gabe, there is no one who works harder and is more committed to getting the best out of the people around him. This was also echoed in the feedback we received around the baseball community. I look forward to working with Gabe to help return the Giants to its winning tradition.”

Kapler, who is 44 years old spent the 2018 and 2019 season with the Phillies and ended with a record of 161-163 in those two seasons.

Phillies managing partner John Middleton fired Kapler almost two weeks after the season after he re-evaluated the team and the manager and obviously, Middleton did not like what he saw going down the stretch. In his two years with the Phillies, Kapler went 8-20 and 12-16 in the seasons final month.

Kapler comes to San Francisco after multiple incidents that occurred when he was the Farm Director for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Two women made accusations against minor leaguers in the Dodgers organization, as both women accused the players of assault to Kapler. One of the women was just 17 years old at the time, who told police that she was sexually assaulted; however, she did not tell Kapler of the incident in the first place. The other woman involved happened to be a housekeeper at the hotel and told them about the sexual assault.

Kapler reported to the Dodgers brass and legal counsel, as he was obligated to do.

After the incidents, the Dodgers drew ridicule, as they did not report the two incidents to Major League Baseball.

Kapler, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley and went to Taft High School in Woodland Hills, played in the major leagues for 12 years for the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, where he won a World Series ring in 2004, Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. He was drafted in the 57th round of the 1995 out of Moorpark College by the Tigers.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Too many injuries, 49ers fell short of reaching the promise land on Monday Night Football

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sfgate.com photo: San Francisco 49ers kicker Chase McLaughlin (5) who was 3-3 kicking field goals shanks a key 47 yard attempt in overtime that would have won it for San Francisco on Monday Night Football vs. the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium.

On San Francisco 49ers podcast with David:

#1 The 49ers are no longer undefeated, but not without a fight tied 24-24. The 49ers tried to kick a field goal as Chase McLaughlin, who was 3-3, tried to hit a 47-yarder shanked it to the left of the goal posts and the Seahawks ended up getting a second chance.

#2 Talk about the Hawks getting that winning drive that allowed kicker Jason Meyers to kick the winning field goal in overtime.

San Francisco 49ers podcasts are heard each Tuesday with David Zizmor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings going for their fourth win in five games tonight in Sacramento

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sacbee.com file photo: The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox drives on the Toronto Raptors defense on Nov 6th game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Fox is out with an ankle injury for unknown amount of time.

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Kings have won three of their last four games, including a win over the Atlanta Hawks 121-109. Were these games a matter of surprise wins for Sacramento or just hard work starting to pay off for the Kings?

#2 The Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield scored 22 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points in the game against the Hawks.

#3 The game was on the Hawks floor, and try as they may, the Hawks could barely keep up with the Kings. The Kings have some very quick players and the Hawks lost by 12

#4 Talk about the Kings defense. They seemed to maintain the Hawks throughout the game and were able to establish winning and their defense worked in the fourth quarter.

#5 The Kings host the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento. You’ve seen them win on this road trip. Could their odds go up a little bit for Tuesday night’s game having the home floor?

Charlie O does Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Niners No Longer Undefeated; Lose Thriller to Seattle 27-24

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sfgate.com photo: The Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson scrambles to avoid the San Francisco 49ers pass rush on Monday Night Football at Levis Stadium

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA — The NFL has no undefeated teams remaining this season after the San Francisco 49ers were defeated by their arch-rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, in overtime 27-24 on Monday Night Football. The highly-anticipated game lived up to and even surpassed the hype, as we just witnessed the best home game played at Levi’s Stadium.

The game had everything, including substantial point swings, turnovers, defensive touchdowns, drops (lots of them), and game-winning field goal opportunities.

Niners’ fans can walk away disappointed after MVP front-runner, Russell Wilson, ran all over the field, totaling 53 yards, including a 19-yard scamper in overtime that set up the game-winner. But they shouldn’t. The red and gold balled out tonight, despite being without their star all-pro tight end, George Kittle and losing Emmanuel Sanders in the midst of it all. Sanders went down with a rib injury and didn’t come back. He’s scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday.

Other injuries include Matt Breida’s ankle acted up; he didn’t return. DJ Jones, who went down with a groin injury and didn’t return. He was a beast up until the point, getting a sack that included completely knocking the Seattle center over on a perfectly timed bullrush. Ronald Blair also went down with a knee injury after preventing Wilson from picking up a huge gain. The Niners finished the game with five sacks and have marked more than three for the sixth-straight game.

They just made mistakes, lots of them, and still took a 7-2 team down to the very seconds of overtime.

But as Richard Sherman said postgame, “you learn more in your losses than in your wins. We’re going to find things to correct and fix them”.

The Niners had a chance to win the game twice in the overtime period. The newly signed rookie kicker, Chase McLaughlin, was 3/3 heading into the potential 47-yard game-winner, but completely shanked it. On San Francisco’s second drive of the overtime period, they only expended 14 seconds off the clock thanks to three-straight incompletions (including one drop), leaving Wilson 1:25 to drive from his own 36 to win the game.

Only using 14 seconds off the clock proved to be costly, as it was enough time for Wilson to work his magic. But at the same time, Shanahan wasn’t shy about being aggressive; he was playing for the win.

One has to question, though, why he didn’t use Deebo Samuel on an end-around. Samuel experienced his best game in the NFL thus far, getting leaned on heavily after Sanders went down. He finished with eight catches on 11 targets for 112 yards. It was his first 100+ yard performance of his career.

Wilson had the first drive of overtime and was looking like an unstoppable object, driving the ball down to the 49ers’ 14-yard line. That’s when Dre Greenlaw made his biggest play as a 49er, intercepting the pass over his shoulder and returning it to midfield. It was only Wilson’s second thrown interception on his season.

Before the play, Greenlaw instilled confidence in his defense, “I told them they are not in the end zone yet, so it is up to us to get a stop. That’s the mentality that we have to have as a defense and the mentality we all have,” he said.

McLaughlin, replacing the injured Robbie Gould, played excellent up to that point. He even kicked the game-tying 47-yarder with just one second remaining after Jimmy Garoppolo drove from his own 26 on a ten-play drive.

The Niners were humbled tonight, getting handed their first loss of the season, yet they didn’t go down without a fight.

San Francisco grabbed an early 10-0 lead in the opening quarter thanks to Jimmy Garoppolo’s only passing touchdown of the game, finding Kendrick Bourne from ten yards out. Bourne was mediocre at best, catching four of eight balls for 42 yards. He had a few drops, including one that led to Garoppolo’s only interception of the game.

“It’s tough, especially how it got an interception off of it; that’s what gets at me more than a drop. Even the second one almost got picked. I am just down on myself because those types of things can happen. It’s just about focusing in on the ball, because I know I can catch the ball, it’s not hard. Sometimes, you squeeze it harder than other situations. When I’m more open, I tend to get more relaxed when someone is on me,” added Bourne.

Seattle looked dead to rights, until late in the first half, when Garoppolo fumbled the ball at his ten on a strip-sack from Jarran Reed. The ball was scooped up by Jadeveon Clowney for the touchdown and brought the score to 10-7 before the break. Clowney had a field-day against the banged-up Niners’ offensive line, finishing with the fumble recovery touchdown, as well as a forced fumble, five tackles, a sack, and five QB hits.

Seattle had a chance at back-to-back late second-quarter touchdowns, but a terrific play from Jaquiski Tartt punched the ball out of DK Metcalf’s hands at the two-yard-line to prevent the score.

However, they picked it up in the second half, scoring two more touchdowns, extending their 21-0 run. Russell Wilson found tight end Jacob Hollister in the end zone for his 23rd touchdown pass of the season, while Chris Carson ran one in from a yard out.

The Niners were able to stop the bleeding on quite possibly the strangest play anyone has ever seen to start the fourth quarter. The ball started with K’Wuan Williams strip-sacking Wilson. However, the ball fell into the lap of right tackle, Germain Ifedi, who fumbled on a Fred Warner punch-out. DeForest Buckner did the rest of the work and carried it in for his first touchdown since high school to bring the Niners back into the game. The Niners capped the play with a two-point conversion to Bourne, making it 21-18.

Field goals filled the rest of the fourth, with Jason Myers knocking down one and McLaughlin nailing two, including the buzzer-beater.

It was Garoppolo’s first experience in overtime. The much more experienced Wilson got the best of him, as he ups his record to 6-3-1 in extra time. More importantly, the win for Seattle now puts them right on the heels of the Niners are 8-2, just one game behind San Francisco for the division lead.

Jazz cruise to a victory over Warriors 122-108

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sfgate.com photo: The Utah Jazz Rudy Gobert takes a shot against the Golden State Warriors defense at Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday night

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The visiting Utah Jazz downed the Warriors 122-108 Monday night at the Chase Center. The Warriors’ All-Star forward, Draymond Green, returned to action after missing several games with an injured left index finger.

The Jazz, coached by Quinn Snyder, owned a record of 6-3 coming into the game. The Jazz revamped their roster as they added guard Michael Conley. Conley was an All-Star in Memphis for many years. Another addition to the roster was Bojan Bogdanovic, who came to Utah after playing for the Indiana Pacers last season.

The Jazz has other players that are All-Stars. Rudy Gobert, the seven-foot one-inch center, is back for another year. Donovan Mitchell continues to sparkle at the guard position, and he had a big night against the Warriors.

The Warriors and Jazz played a very competitive first quarter. The Jazz led early in the period. The W’s D’Angelo Russell knocked down three threes in a row to give the Warriors the lead 19-17. Utah came back and regained the lead briefly. The Warriors went ahead 24-23 on a D’Angelo Russell 2-point bucket. That would be the last time the Warriors had the lead. Russell finished the first period with 18 points.

Utah outscored the Warriors 35-24 in the second period to finish the first half with a 15-point lead 69-54. Utah knocked down 9 threes. The W’s had four. This was one of the reasons the Jazz led by 15. The other reason was the advantage the Jazz had at the free-throw line. Utah outscored the Warriors 16-2 from the charity stripe.

The Warriors outscored the Jazz 31-28 in the third quarter. Jordan Poole, D’Angelo Russell, Alec Burks, Damian Lee, and Eric Paschall all made contributions to help the Warriors win the quarter. They trailed 97-85 at the end of three-quarters of play.

The Warriors, as hard as they played, could not catch the Jazz. With 8:28 left to play, Draymond Green was charged with a double technical foul. Draymond appeared to be run over by a Utah player. He went to the floor but was charged with a reach-in foul. Green objected and was hit with a T.

He continued to question the call, and he was slapped with his second T. He had to leave. The Warriors could not catch the Jazz. They played well on defense, but they did not have enough firepower to get back into the game. The Jazz win 122-108

Game Notes: D’Angelo Russell led the Warrior attack with 33 points. Russell had 8 assists, and he made five threes in nine tries. The other Warriors in double figures were Jordan Poole with 11, Marquis Chriss 11, and Alec Burns 10. Willie Cauley-Stein, Glenn Robinson, Damian Lee, and Eric Paschall each had 8.

Utah had seven players in double figures. Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell tallied 23, and he made 7 threes. Michael Conley tallied 22, and he knocked down six threes. Jeff Green and Bojan Bogdanovic each had 12. Joe Ingles and Emmanuel Mudiay had 11 each.

With the loss, the Warriors are now 2-9. Utah improved to 7-3. They are a power in the Western Conference and will be battling with the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, and Denver for the best record in the West.

Utah’s Donovan Mitchell and the Warriors Eric Paschall have been best friends since they were six years old, growing up in Westchester County, New York. Hard to believe that two young men from the same neighborhood would be playing in the NBA. It’s a sweet story.

Up Next: The Warriors are back in action Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center. The game will be on ESPN at 7:00 pm. The Boston Celtics visit the Warriors on Friday.

Final three games will likely test the character of the young Cardinal

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Ana Kieu

Facing a hungry, dangerous team on Homecoming, Stanford gave itself a great chance to escape Colorado with a victory on Saturday, but was unable to shut the door on the Buffaloes.

Having lost five consecutive games and allowed 30-plus points to every opponent, Colorado dug in on defense, limiting Stanford to one touchdown in the 16-13 victory. On two red zone trips, Stanford settled for a field goal and missed a short attempt.

“It had a dramatic effect on the game,” said senior quarterback K.J. Costello. “What that does is put stress on your defense countless times to hold them to field goals instead of touchdowns.”

After allowing an early score, the Cardinal defense settled down and played well in the thinner air and unseasonably warm mid-70-degree temperatures. Ultimately, it came down to a final stop, but the Buffaloes chewed up the final six minutes with a 13-play, 61-yard drive culminating in a game-winning 37-yard field goal by Evan Price.

“It’s really disappointing,” said fifth-year senior outside linebacker Casey Toohill. “At the end, we just weren’t good enough. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s the truth so we have to deal with it.”

Although no one’s looking past Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. kickoff against Washington State in Pullman, Stanford (4-5, 3-4 Pac-12) needs two wins in its final three outings to become bowl eligible.

Stanford concludes the regular season by hosting Cal on Nov. 23 and Notre Dame on Nov. 30.

“The bottom line is we have to play better in the fourth quarter,” said Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw.

GROWING PAINS
As difficult as losses have been, many young players continue to learn on the fly, including three freshmen starters on the offensive line. They’re growing with every snap and have bright futures.

Through nine games, 17 freshmen have played, seven in starting roles due to injuries. On Saturday, offensive lineman Drake Nugent and inside linebacker Aeneas DiCosmo made their college debuts.

Freshmen running backs Austin Jones and Nathaniel Peat made nice contributions. Jones ran five times for 30 yards and Peat had four carries for 29. Jones also made a 4-yard reception.

Also seeing action for the second time this season was freshman inside linebacker Tristan Sinclair, who made two solo tackles.

“They’re fast, athletic and made some plays,” Shaw said. “We missed a couple things and you know that going in when you’re going to have young, inexperienced guys out there against experienced guys on the other side.”

Additionally, 17 Cardinal have started for the first time in their college careers, with fifth-year senior inside linebacker Ryan Beecher joining the list against Colorado.

FIERY FEHOKO
Sophomore wide receiver Simi Fehoko has developed into one of the team’s best playmakers. He caught a 79-yard touchdown pass from Costello early in the fourth quarter to give Stanford a 13-10 lead. It was Fehoko’s fourth scoring reception of the season and the team’s longest since JJ Arcega-Whiteside’s 80-yard grab against San Diego State in 2018.

“I saw the hole and actually thought the corner was going to peel off and get me,” said Fehoko, who caught the ball across the middle, then weaved his way through Colorado defenders and outran them to the end zone.

The play energized the team at just the right time.

“After I went to the sideline, everybody was a lot more juiced,” Fehoko said. “We just had to go down and close it.”

Photo credit: gostanford.com

OUT OF SYNC
After piling up 472 yards and 41 points against Arizona, the offense struggled against Colorado. Stanford managed only 15 first downs, was 3-of-10 on third down, and committed costly penalties.

“They did a good job in showing us a lot of different looks, but nothing we hadn’t seen,” said Costello. “It came down to pure execution.”

Costello said it was tough watching Colorado consume the last six minutes off the clock.

“I don’t know about any other player, but I want the ball in my hands to win the game,” Costello said. “It’s frustrating.”

Photo credit: gostanford.com

UP NEXT
Stanford plays its final road game on Saturday against Washington State (4-5, 1-5 Pac-12) in Pullman. The Cougars lost at Cal on Saturday, 33-20, failing to score 30 or more points for just the second time this season.

Washington State head coach Mike Leach loves to air it out. Led by quarterback Anthony Gordon, the Cougars pace the Pac-12 in passing, averaging 37.4 attempts and 411.7 yards per game. WSU crushed visiting Colorado, 41-10, on Oct. 19, and narrowly lost at Oregon two weeks ago in Eugene on a last-second field goal, 37-35.

Photo credit: gostanford.com

NOTES
Senior inside linebacker Andrew Pryts led Stanford in tackles with seven. He ranks 13th in the Pac-12 in stops with 45 … Stanford recorded five tackles for loss, with Toohill recording a sack. He now has six on the season and five in conference play, the fourth-most in the conference, and ranks 10th in tackles for loss with six … Junior cornerback Paulson Adebo continues to lead the Pac-12 in passes defended with 14 and has four interceptions … Sophomore fullback Jay Symonds caught his second career pass … Costello now has 6,151 career passing yards and became the ninth player in school history to surpass 6,000 … Fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett ran for a team-high 63 yards and moved past 2019 Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Bill Tarr (1953-55) into 20th place on the program’s career list with 1,599 … Former Stanford fullback Ryan Hewitt (2009-13) served as the honorary captain. Tough and versatile, he ran for more than 500 yards and helped lead Stanford to consecutive Pac-12 titles and two trips to the Rose Bowl. Hewitt played for six seasons in the NFL.

QUOTE
“You can feel a little salt in the locker room.” — K.J. Costello after the loss and how he thinks it will help motivate the team

SJSU’s Walker added to Biletnikoff Award Watch List

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

San Jose State wide receiver Tre Walker is one of five NCAA FBS players recently added to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.

Named after the Oakland Raiders’ great Fred Biletnikoff, a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the award honors the top pass receiver nationally regardless of position. The award is presented and sponsored by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation. A wide receiver, tight end, running back or a slot back is eligible to be considered and win the Biletnikoff Award.

In 2019, Walker, a junior from Los Angeles, leads the Spartans in receiving and is one of the top pass catchers in FBS football. He has 59 receptions for 896 yards and one touchdown. In games played through Nov. 9, he’s nationally ranked in receptions per game (7th), receiving yards per game (5th) and total receiving yards (13th).

With today’s announcement, more than 70 players are listed on this year’s watch list.

Ten semifinalists will be named on Nov. 18 and three finalists will be announced on Nov. 25.

This year’s Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented at the Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12 in Atlanta, Ga. The award ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at the University Center Club at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.

The Biletnikoff Award is a member of the NCFAA, which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football.

Cal Bears football podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal scrapes together enough 4th quarter offense to get by WSU 33-20

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calbears.com photo: Jaylinn Hawkins hauled in his eighth career interception in the first quarter

On the Cal Bears football podcast with Morris:

#1 From looking at the score frames it looked as if the Bears played small ball and beat Washington State by a 1000 cuts on Saturday 33-20

#2 The Bears big quarter was the fourth quarter when they scored 13 points to over come the Cougars

#3 The Bears quarterback Devon Modster went 16-24 for 230 yards and three touchdowns Modster threw just well enough to beat the Cougars.

#4 For the Cal touchdowns Modster had a keeper, Christopher Brown Jr and Malai Polk both had touchdowns.

#5 With the USC Trojans coming this Saturday to Memorial this will be one of Cal’s biggest challenges and a win could help their post season chances.

Morris does the Cal podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Jose State loses home opener vs. Portland, 72-57

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball was looking to string two wins together on Saturday afternoon in their home opener against the Portland Pilots. But that didn’t happen as the Spartans were unable to get their offense going.

The Spartans (1-1) were held to a 40 percent shooting clip from the floor (23-of-58), while Portland (2-1) shot 48 percent (26-of-54). SJSU also struggled from 3-point range (23 percent) and at the free throw line (31 percent).

For the second straight game to start his career, Richard Washington led the Spartans with 11 points and came up just one rebound shy of a double-double. Sam Japhet-Mathias and Brae Ivey chipped in eight points, while Eduardo Lane scored seven points.

JoJo Walker led the Pilots with game-high 22 points, while Isaiah White added 17 points. Portland finished 9-of-20 from beyond the arc and hit 11-of-15 from the charity stripe.

The Spartans led 7-6 at the first media timeout, but the Pilots grabbed control of the lead and never lost it for the remainder of the evening. The Spartans cut it down to one with 3:49 left in the first half on a Washington trey off a fastbreak, but the Pilots closed the half on a 9-2 run to enter the locker room with an 8-point advantage, 37-29.

In the second half, Portland pushed their lead to 13 with 9:39 to play before Washington hit another 3-point basket to spark an 8-0 run to cut the lead 56-51 at the 6:34 mark. That was as close as the Spartans would get as the Pilots regained control and closed the game on an 8-0 run to shut the door.

Despite the loss, SJSU continued to show signs of improvement in the turnover department, finishing with just 13 while forcing 15, resulting in 16 points off of turnovers. Rebounding was all-square at 32 apiece.

With the loss, SJSU dropped to 1-1, while Portland improved to 2-1.

The Spartans head to McKale Center in Tuscon to take on #21 Arizona on Thursday, November 14 at 5 pm PT. The game will be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Network.