Tag: Mountain West Conference

Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team returned home to host the Simpson Red Hawks at the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Sunday. SJSU got blown out by #19 Arizona, 87-39, last Thursday.

SJSU’s starting five was Brae Ivey, Seneca Knight, Christian Anigwe, Eduardo Lane and Craig LeCesne.

SJSU won the tip-off and the home game was underway. SJSU opened the scoring, thanks to Knight’s 3-pointer just 20 seconds into the first half. Simpson responded with a 3 of their own, courtesy of Blake Trent, at the 18:47 mark.

The 3-3 tie wasn’t the only tie of the game. The Red Hawks’ Nathan Presnell hit a jumper and Knight made a game-tying layup to tie it 5-5 at the 16:31 mark. The Spartans’ Richard Washington made a layup in the paint and Presnell hit a jumper to tie it 7-7 at the 14:48 mark.

From there, SJSU got ahead of the game. Ralph Agee hit back to back jumpers in the paint, Zach Chappell hit a 3 and Washington hit a fastbreak 3. The Spartans led 17-9 at the 12:19 mark.

But Simpson had other plans. The Red Hawks pulled within 3 at the 11:07 mark. Kon Anguik hit a 3 and Brycen Wight made a fastbreak layup in the paint.

The Red Hawks never got back up for the remainder of the half. The Spartans went on a 8-0 run and a 9-0 run, respectively, to take a 42-26 lead to the locker room at the halftime break.

The Red Hawks scored first to open the second half, but the Spartans maintained their lead from that moment on. LeCesne made a pair of layups to extend the Spartans’ lead to 46-28 at the 18:14 mark. Then, SJSU went on an 8-0 run to make it 56-29 at the 16:06 mark. Lane made a layup, Ivey hit a 3 and Knight made a fastbreak layup in the paint, fastbreak free throw and a dunk.

But the Spartans refused to back down. SJSU continued to make the plays and put the points on the scoreboard. These two teams went on their own little runs, and while the Red Hawks’ Wight capped off the scoring with a fastbreak layup in the paint, it was the Spartans who won the game by a final score of 85-60.

With the win, SJSU improves to 2-2, while Simpson falls to 0-1.

“Yes, the chemistry definitely played a role in the win and our points off the bench,” Seneca Knight and Zach Chappell said when asked about the team’s chemistry. “Some guys, including us, have been getting along with each other and they’ve been practicing really hard because they want to do a great job and also make the fans happy.”

“Agee means a lot to our team,” Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau said when asked about Ralph Agee. “He brings a lot of energy. I thought he was really good tonight in the middle of our zone because he communicates, and when he communicates, he allows the forwards and whoever’s on the back side to kind of match up and know where they’re supposed to be. I thought he did a really job there. He’s really athletic. He’s a great team player. He loves being here. He loves being on the team. We’re expecting a lot out of him and I think the sky’s the limit for him, and I appreciate the fact that he’s thinking about the team rather than himself.”

The Spartans host the Grambling State Tigers on Wednesday, November 20 at 7 pm PST.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball will cap a doubleheader with the San Jose State women’s basketball team on Sunday with a 4 pm PT tip against Simpson at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.

That being said, one ticket will be good for entry into both contests. Contact the SJSU ticket office for more information.

EVENT CENTER PARKING
– The most convenient place to park for basketball games at the Provident Credit Union Event Center is the South Garage on Seventh Street.

– Remember your license plate, you need to enter in the number at the pay stations after parking.

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (1-2, 0-0 MW)
PPG: 58.3 | FG%: 36.8 | 3FG%: 22.7 | FT%: 50.0

NOTES: The Spartans open up a three-game homestand on Sunday against the Simpson Red Hawks. SJSU plays host to Grambling State on Nov. 20 and Portland State on Nov. 23 before hitting the road for a neutral site contest with Oregon State in Las Vegas on Nov. 27. Guard Richard Washington has been averaging a team-high 13.0 points per game in a team-leading 29.7 minutes per game. Guard Seneca Knight has grabbed a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game.

SIMPSON RED HAWKS (1-3, 0-0 CalPac)
PPG: 68.7 | FG%: 47.5 | 3FG%: 29.8 | FT%: 53.4

SERIES: First meeting

LAST: N/A

NOTES: Simpson is 1-3 this season and plays at Cal Poly on Friday night. Simpson features three players averaging double-figures, led by Blake Trent’s and Chisti Alvis-Iabadie’s 14.0 ppg. Simpson plays in the California Pacific along with UC Merced, Antelope Valley, Benedictine-Mesa, Cal Maritime, La Sierra, Embry-Riddle, Pacific Union and Saint Katherine.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: None

STREAM: Stream all non-televised SJSU home games via the Mountain West Digital Network at sjsuspartans.com/watch.

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

EFFICIENT EDUARDO
– Junior college transfer Eduardo Lane has had a nice start to his SJSU career.

– The Brazilian is shooting 63.6 percent from the floor (7-for-11), tops on the team this season.

– Lane is averaging 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game.

– He had nine points and four boards in 19 minutes in Thursday’s loss at Arizona.

SPARTANS STUN HOFSTRA IN SEASON OPENER
– SJSU opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra on the road, 79-71.

– 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. He scored 12 of his 23 points in the final four minutes, including a stretch of three straight three-pointers 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 the 2017-18 campaign.

– 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.

LOTS OF STARTERS BACK
– The Spartans return seven players who started at least one 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 Brea 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 each started one game.

SIX NEW FACES
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 four-star recruit appeared in 17 games off the bench at Wake Forest as a freshman in 2016-17. He posted six points and four rebounds at No. 17 Xavier.

– Prioleau added two freshmen this season in guard Omari Moore and walk-on center Harminder Dhaliwal.

SAN JOSE STATE 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 matchup 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.

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.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team stunned Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y. That, my friends, was an astonishing win to say the least. The Spartans beat a Pride team that finished 93rd in KenPom and won 27 games last season.

Now, SJSU looks to make it two in a row as they head home to the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Sunday afternoon. Here are the facts that you should know before the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

BROADCASTS
TV: None

Stream: Stream all non-televised SJSU home games via the Mountain West Digital Network at sjsuspartans.com/watch.

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

PORTLAND SERIES HISTORY
All-time series is tied, 11-11 … The Spartans hold a 6-4 edge at home … The last meeting was a 64-55 loss at the Chiles Center on Dec. 9, 2017. Ryan Welage had a team-high 21 points in the loss. Isaiah Nichols started in that game, scoring nine points and grabbing six boards in 32 minutes. Caleb Simmons also started against the Pilots. He played just 10 minutes … In a Spartan loss to the Pilots in 2016 in the Event Center, Brandon Clarke had 28 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks … SJSU won the first six meetings in the series … Portland has won the last four meetings … The teams have gone to overtime five times, including a triple-overtime thriller in 1984. SJSU lost, 82-81.

HOME OPENER HISTORY
The Spartans have won three straight home openers … SJSU averaged 98.3 points per game in those wins.

SPARTANS STUN HOFSTRA IN SEASON OPENER
SJSU opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra on the road, 79-71 … Hofstra won 27 games last year, while 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. He scored 12 of his 23 points in the final four minutes, including a stretch of three straight three-pointers 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 the 2017-18 campaign … 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.

POSSIBLE THROWBACK
The Spartans are hoping 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.

LOTS OF STARTERS BACK
The Spartans return seven players who started at least one 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 Brea 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 each started one game.

SIX NEW FACES
Spartan 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 six points and four rebounds at No. 17 Xavier … Prioleau added two freshmen this season in guard Omari Moore and walk-on center Harminder Dhaliwal.

SJSU TV SCHEDULE
The Spartans 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 matchup 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.

NCAA RULES CHANGES
The most notable rule change for the 2019-20 season is the extension of the three-point line. The new distance will match the three-point line used in FIBA games. The new line is 22 feet and 1.75 inches from the center of the basket, just over 16 inches further back from the previous three-point line … The other major change is the shot clock will now reset to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound, rather than the full 30 … Another smaller change is head coaches will be able to call live-ball timeouts in the final two minutes of both the first and second halves, plus the final two minutes of overtime periods.

NEW NAME FOR EVENT CENTER
SJSU’s on-campus arena has a new name starting with the 2019-20 season. Provident Credit Union has signed on as the naming rights partner, making it the Provident Credit Union Event Center. The deal is for $8.1 million over 20 years, with the majority of the annual payments scheduled for maintenance and renovation of the 30-year old facility. The president and CEO of Provident Credit Union is Jim Ernest, a Spartan alum.

DIRECTIONS TO EVENT CENTER
Walt McPherson Court in the Provident Credit Union Event Center is located near the corner of Seventh and San Carlos Streets. The easiest freeway access is just a few blocks away off interstate 280. Take the Seventh Street exit and follow signs to San Joe State University. Parking is available for a fee at the South Parking Garage on San Salvador and Seventh Streets and the West Parking Garage on San Salvador and Fourth Streets.