Tag: NCAA Basketball

Bears steal one from Huskies for another late painful win 82-80

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Washington Huskies center Braxton Meah (34) forward Keion Brooks Jr (1), and guard Koren Johnson (0) battle against the Cal Bears guard Jaylon Tyson (20) and Fardaws Aimaq (far right back) at Alaskan Airlines Arena in Seattle on Sat Feb 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024

Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington

California Golden Bears 82 (11-15 Overall; 7-8 Pac-12)

Washington Huskies 80 (14-12 Overall; 6-9 Pac-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Bears came into Seattle, and beat the Washington Huskies, 82-80, thanks to a late steal and three.

Cal came in having lost their last two. They had lost a devastating nailbiter to the Oregon Ducks in Berkeley last Saturday, and then were rather easily defeated by the Washington State Cougars in Pullman on Thursday. Now, they were in Seattle to play a Washington Huskies team, who beat the Bears in a close one at Haas Pavilion on Jan. 18.

The Huskies won the opening tip, but there wouldn’t be any scoring for a minute and a half. That was when Fardaws Aimaq got Cal on the board with a hookshot. Aimaq and Jaylon Tyson combined to score the Bears’ first 13 points

The game was neck and neck in the early going with Cal up 13-11. Koren Johnson and Keion Brooks Jr. then combined to score seven unanswered points for the Huskies to put them up 18-13.

The Huskies held the lead until Jalen Cone laid one in with 7:20 remaining to tie it at 23-23. Tyson laid one in to give Cal a 25-23 lead, and the Bears took the momentum, as they opened a 40-33 lead with two minutes to go.

The Huskies bounced back, and they clawed their way back in to go into the half down four at 42-38.

Brooks hit a jump shot for the Huskies to make it 42-40 to start the second half, and Cone hit a three to make it 45-40, as the two teams see-sawed their way through the early minutes. Paul Mulcahy hit a three to give the Huskies a 47-46 lead, and then Tyson alley-ooped to Keonte Kennedy, who slammed it down to put the Bears back ahead, 48-47.

Koren Johnson hit a layup to make it 49-48 Washington, and the Huskies mostly took control from there. Cal did comeback to tie it on a free throw by Aimaq to make it 53-53, but the Huskies just as quickly retook the lead, and opened up a 61-55 lead with 10:44 to go.

However, the Bears were not going to let the Huskies pull away with it. Aimaq and Tyson hit layups to make it 61-59, and the Bears were now just down by two. The Bears hung in there, as they twice tied the game, but they were unable to get a lead.

Mulcahy was fouled and hit one of two from the line to put Washington up 75-70 with 4:23 to go. Grant Newell then hit a pair of layups to make it 75-74, and the Bears were headed for another thrilling finish in this painful season.

The Huskies kept their small lead, but Jalen Celestine sank a three with 1:40 remaining to tie it at 79-79. Sahvir Wheeler was then fouled, and he hit one of two from the line to put the Huskies back up, 80-79 with 1:16 to go.

The 80-79 Huskies’ lead held up going into the final seconds. With 15 seconds remaining, Jalen Cone stole the ball from Wheeler, and then called time. The Bears inbounded the ball, and got it to Jalen Celestine, who sank a three-ball with five seconds left to give the Bears an 82-80 lead.

Wheeler then tried to lay one in, but he missed, and the Bears came out with another painful win, as they somehow managed to win this one, 82-80.

In the midst of tonight’s epic win was Jaylon Tyson’s 28-point performance. It comes as no surprise that Tyson’s performance was not the main highlight, as tonight’s win was a team effort, just as most of the wins have been for the Bears this season.

The Bears improve to 7-8 in Pac-12 play, and 11-15 overall. Now, they will return home for their final home stand of the year. First, the Oregon State Beavers will come in for a 7 p.m. tip at Haas Pavilion on Thursday night, followed by the Oregon Ducks, who will be in for a 4 p.m. next Saturday.

Cougars use big second half to upend Cardinal 72-59

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The Stanford Cardinal forward Brandon Angel (23) is in pursuit of the Washington State Cougars forward Andrej Jakimmovski (23) at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman on Sat, Feb 17, 2024 (Washington State Cougars photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Washington State used a balanced attack and a big second half Saturday, as the Cougars routed Stanford 72-59 in Pac-12 men’s basketball at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash.

Jaylen Wells and Isaac Jones scored 15 points apiece to lead WSU (20-6 overall, 7-8 Pac-12). Myles Rice was next with 14 points and Andrej Jakimovski finished with 13 points. Oscar Cluff had three steals and pulled down 12 of the Cougars’ 37 rebounds and Rice collected five assists.

Brandon Angel led the Cardinal (12-13 overall, 7-8 Pac-12) with 15 points, hitting 6 of 9 field goal attempts. Kanaan Carlyle and Michael Jones were next with 12 points each. Carlyle dished out five assists, 6 hit two 3-pointers, and Maxime Raynaud grabbed five rebounds.

Stanford trailed 21-11 with 9:56 remaining in the first half, but rallied with a 23-12 run to take a 34-33 lead. Benny Gealer scored in the last seconds of the half giving the Cardinal a 36-35 lead at the break.

The Cardinal enjoyed their biggest lead, 47-42, with 15:32 to play. Washington State reeled off a 21-6 run to assume control of the contest. The Cougars outscored Stanford 37-23 in the second half.

Stanford returns home to Maples Pavilion this Thursday, hosting Oregon at 8 p.m.

San Jose State Loses To Wyoming 80-75

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San Jose State Spartans guard Latrell Davis takes a jump shot against the Wyoming Cowboys at the Provident Credit Event Center in San Jose on Sat Feb 17, 2024 (San Jose Spartans photo image)

Saturday, February 17th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

San Jose, CA – The Wyoming Cowboys come to the Golden State for a matchup with the San Jose State Spartans in the Provident Credit Union Event Center. For Wyoming it’s the first of a two-game road trip. In these two teams’ first meeting of the season and the first conference game for the Spartans, SJSU lost at the buzzer, despite leading for most of the contest.

Wyoming heads into this game with a 12-12 record and a 5-6 conference record, while the Spartans are 9-16 with a 2-10 conference record. San Jose State comes into this game shooting 45.7% from the field and 35.2% from behind the arc and after a win against Air Force last game, SJSU looks to keep the fire burning against the Cowboys. The Spartans just couldn’t hold their own dropping the contest to the Cowboys 80-75 on Saturday night.

The first half was primarily dominated by Wyoming as three pointers were falling for the Cowboys. Wyoming hit 9-18, going 50% from behind the arc keeping a wide distance between them and the Spartans.

Wyoming’s guard Sam Griffin led the Cowboys in the first half in points (11), rebounds (4), and assists (3), while MJ Amey Jr. led the Spartans in points with eight. At halftime Wyoming had a clear cut lead 43-29 and if the Spartans needed to get any type of momentum to win this game, shots needed to fall both in the paint and behind the arc. 

SJSU started the second half generating a comeback, but it was halted when they went on a three minute scoring drought. Akuel Kot of Wyoming dropped 20 points before going to the bench with what appears to be an ankle injury.

The game went within five points for San Jose State  with five minutes left after Latrell Davis got a basket by goaltending. The game got closer and closer for the Spartans all the way to a one point game, but Wyoming pulled away and ended up winning the game 80-75. 

The Spartans lose another conference game making their record in the Mountain West record 2-11. San Jose State’s next game will be in Boise, Idaho against Boise State on February 20th.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cougars take out Cardinal 72-59; Wells and Jones leads WSU in scoring

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The Stanford Cardinal forward Isaac Jones was tied for first in scoring on Sat Feb 17, 2024 against the Washington State Cougars at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman (Stanford Cardinal file photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal (12-13) lost their fourth out of their last six games today in Pullman against the Washington State Cougars (20-6) 72-59.

#2 The Cougars had two players tied for scoring at 15 points Jaylen Wells and Isaac Jones. The Cougars have relied on Jones and Wells for the bulk of their scoring and wins.

#3 The Cardinal high scorers forward Brandon Angel with 15 points and tied for second in scoring guards Kanaan Carlyle and Michael Jones both with 12 points.

#4 Michael, how surprised were you that the Cougars were able to hold the Cardinal’s guard Maxime Raynaud to just eight points. How crucial was that for the Cougars as Raynaud has had some lights out games this season?

#5 The Cardinal host the Oregon Ducks (16-8) Thu Feb 22nd at Maples Pavilion. The Ducks have been playing just below .500 in their last seven games, they are fourth in the Pac 12 and have lost four of their last seven games.

Michael Roberson is a Stanford Cardinal beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bears show fight but trounced by Cougars up North in Pullman 85-65

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The Washington State Cougars forward Isaac Jones (13) puts up a prayer with the Cal Bears forward Fardaws Aimaq (00) putting on the pressure in the second half at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman on Thu Feb 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024

Beasley Coliseum, Pullman, Washington

California Golden Bears 65 (10-15 Overall; 6-8 Pac-12)

Washington State Cougars 85 (19-6 Overall; 10-4 Pac-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Bears went up north to Pullman, Washington, and though they put up some fight, they were subdued, as they lost to the Washington State Cougars, 84-65, in the opener of the road trip.

Cal lost a tough one Saturday at home against the UCLA Bruins. The Bears came back from down 14 points to take the lead, but eventually fell in overtime. Tonight, they were going to have to bounce back on the road, and on the turf of the powerful Washington State Cougars.

The game started scoreless for a whole minute and 49 seconds until Jaylon Tyson made a pullup jumper. The Cougars then scored 10 unanswered points to pounce out to an early 10-2 lead.

The Bears then scored eight unanswered points. Rodney Brown Jr. hit a three; Tyson hit a driving layup; and Grant Newell sank a three-ball to tie it at 10-10 with 11:28 to go in the first half.

The game remained tight as the first half went along. Jaylen Wells hit a three to put the Cougars back ahead at 13-10. From there, the Cougars kept the small lead for the next several minutes, but the Bears were able to stay closely behind.

Fardaws Aimaq was fouled and hit two from the line to put Cal within three at 22-19 with 4:22 to go. However, Andrej Jakimovski hit a three, and Myles Rice laid one in to open Washington State’s lead to 27-19.

Jalen Celestine hit a three to make it 27-22 with 2:48 left, but the Cougars closed out the first half with seven unanswered points, and altogether a 12-3 run, to go into the half uo 34-22.

Aimaq slammed one down to start the second half, but the Cougars kept adding. Wells hit a jumper, and Rice hit a three to make it 41-26.

Being down by double digits in the early minutes of the second half was nothing new to the Bears, who have come back from many such deficits this season. There was no reason to believe they couldn’t do so tonight.

The Bears had already come back from a large deficit early in this game. When the Cougars jumped out their 10-2 lead out of the gate, the Bears immediately scored eight unanswered points to tie it up. The Bears had all the confidence in the world that they could come back again.

Keonte Kennedy hit a three, and Tyson dunked one to make it 41-31. The Bears definitely believed they could come back, but the Cougars just would not relent, as they jumped out to a 51-33 lead with 15:17 to go. Brown and Newell then hit threes to make it 53-39, but the Cougars were too powerful, and they put the game away.

The Cougars opened their lead to 20 at 66-46 with 9:51 to go, and it was apparent that the Bears were not going to come back tonight. To Cal’s credit, they didn’t fall much further behind, as they never trailed by more than 23 points.

However, once all was said and done, Washington State comfortably won, 84-65.

Tyson led the scoring with 18 points for the Bears, but there was no stopping Myles Rice, who scored 25 for the Cougars. Isaac Jones wasn’t too far behind Rice, as he scored 21.

The Bears fall to 6-8 in Pac-12 play, and 10-15 overall. Now, they will head across Washington State to Seattle, where they will take on the Washington Huskies at 5:30 p.m. Saturday night.

Huskies rout Cardinal 85-65 in Pac-12 hoops

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Stanford Cardinal conferenced but just couldn’t figure out how to stop the Washington Huskies offense at Alaskan Airlines Arena in Seattle on Thu Feb 15, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal image)

By Daniel Dullum

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Stanford opened its penultimate Pac-12 men’s basketball road trip Thursday with an 85-65 defeat by Washington at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

Washington (14-11 overall, 6-8 Pac-12) was led by Deion Brooks Jr. with 30 points on 8 of 14 field goal shooting, and Koren Johnson with another 30 points off the bench, including six 3-pointers. Shaver Wheeler was next for the Huskies with 14 points, eight assists and two steals. Braxton Meah had 13 rebounds.

Maxime Raynaud and Brandon Angel were the Cardinal scoring leaders with 19 points each. Raynaud also had a game-high 16 rebounds to go with two steals. Angel was 7 of 7 at the free throw line, and Raynaud’s double-double was his 10th of the season, Andrej Stojakovic added 10 points off the bench.

There were 13 lead changes and seven ties throughout most of the first half. Raynaud scored 11 of the Cardinal’s first 17 points, and scored seven points in a 10-0 Stanford run that put the visitors up 16-8.

The Huskies responded with an 8-point run and hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to take a 40-38 halftime lead.

Washington opened the second half with a 12-0 run, and while the Cardinal (12-12 overall, 7-7 Pac-12) cut their deficit to single digits with 11:14 left on a Stojskovic 3-pointer, the Huskies methodically pulled away.

The Cardinal resume their Northwest road swing on Saturday, when they visit Washington State. Game time is 3 p.m.

Spartans Lose Again As Colorado State Beats San Jose State 66-47

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Nique Clifford guard (10) goes for the easy lay up for the Colorado State Rams against the San Jose State Spartans guard Alvaro Cardenas (13) at Moby Arena in Fort Collins CO on Fri Feb 9, 2024 (image by Colorado State Rams)

Friday, February 9th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

The Colorado State Rams host the San Jose State Spartans in this Friday night Mountain West Conference battle. Friday night’s game was Tim Miles’ second time back at Moby Arena in Fort Collins since he left Colorado State after the 2011-12 season to become the head coach at Nebraska.

Miles was the head coach at CSU for five seasons, from 2007-08 through 2011-12, where he compiled a 61-78 record. Unfortunately Miles couldn’t turn back his old team as the Spartans were dropped by the Rams 66-47.

A shaky first half for the Spartans as Colorado State ran away with this game early. Scoring 22 points in the paint, the Rams were in top of the Spartans all half. Rashaan Mbemba led the Rams at the half with 10 points and was one of the pivotal pieces that was scoring in the paint.

San Jose State was not shooting well, especially from three. On Tuesday night against Fresno State, Tibet Gorener made his 162nd career 3-pointer, becoming the Spartans’ all time leader in 3-pointers made, but made none in the first half. SJSU at halftime fell behind Colorado State, 38-19 and needed a quick solution to the offensive takeover the Rams were providing. 

Even though SJSU made a slight comeback in the beginning of the second half with 12 points in the first four minutes, it didn’t matter as the Rams never stopped dominating the game. 23 points off the bench for CSU and 38 points in the paint made it difficult to gain any ground for the Spartans. The game was a runaway as it ended with Colorado State winning 66-47. 

The positive in this loss for the San Jose State Spartans was that Alvaro Cardenas continued putting up double digit points against the Rams just like he did in both games of the 2022-23 season. This game Cardenas scored 14 points going 6-13 from the field, but still didn’t equal a W for SJSU. The next game for San Jose State is back at home against Air Force on February 13th and as the season winds down before we approach March Madness, the Spartans want to end with pride and some noise in their favor.

Bears stave off disaster with another painful win over Trojans in overtime 83-77

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The Cal Bears forward Grant Newell (14) and guard Jalen Cone (15) jump for joy as the Bears defeated the USC Trojans in OT for Cal’s tenth win of the season at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Wed Feb 7, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

USC Trojans 77 (9-14 Overall; 3-9 Pac-12)

California Golden Bears 83 (10-13 Overall; 6-6 Pac-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Bears dodged a bullet, and beat the USC Trojans in overtime, 83-77, to cap off yet another painful win in what was their first win against USC in over seven years.

The Bears returned home following a convincing win over the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe on Saturday to host a USC Trojans team, who had beaten the Bears in each of their previous 11 matchups.

There would be no scoring in the first minute of the game, but Cal struck first with a dunk and jumper from Fardaws Aimaq. Arrinten Page laid one in to put USC on the board, and Joshua Morgan hit a jumper to tie it, 4-4.

Aimaq hit a jumper to put the Bears back ahead at 6-4, as he scored each of the Bears’ first six points tonight, and the two teams remained neck and neck for the next several minutes.

The Bears led 22-21 when Grant Newell was fouled with 8:34 remaining in the first half, and Newell made both shots from the line. From there, Jalen Cone took off, as he hit back-to-back-to-back threes to open up a 33-25 lead for the Bears.

Cone went for fourth-straight three, and was fouled, but he then hit all three shots from the line to make it 36-25 with 5:39 to go.

The Trojans then made a charge, and scored six unanswered points to cut Cal’s lead to 36-31. However, Aimaq made a pair of dunks, and Newell made a jumper, as the Bears went into the half with a 6-0 run to open their lead back to 11 at 42-31.

The Bears carried their momentum into the second half, as Jalen Celestine hit a three ball, and Jaylon Tyson laid one in, as the Bears’ run extended to 11-0 to make it 47-31. Boogie Ellis was fouled and made one of two from the line, and DJ Rodman, the son of NBA Hall-of-Famer Dennis Rodman, laid one in to give USC a reprieve.

The Trojans then started to slowly chip away at the Bears’ lead. Tyson made a jumper and a layup, but a three-ball by Kobe Johnson cut the lead to 51-39 with 15:32 remaining.

From there, there would not be any scoring for nearly three minutes until Rodman hit a three to make it 51-42. Isaiah Collier made a layup; was fouled; and then hit his shot from the line to cut the Bears’ lead to just six at 51-45.

The Bears were now in danger of blowing another big lead. However, they responded swiftly with a 7-2 run, which featured a three by Tyson; a jumper by Celestine; and a layup by Keonte Kennedy, as the Bears opened their lead back up to 58-47 with 9:05 to go.

Collier then went on a show, and scored seven unanswered points to make it 58-54. Tyson laid one in, and hit one from the line after being fouled on the play, but the Trojans were relentless, as Morgan slammed one down, and Collier hit a layup and a pair of free throws to make it just a one-point game at 61-60.

Once again, there the Bears were on the verge of blowing yet another big lead in a season that has seen them do so so many times. However, Tyson and Cone each hit threes to make it 67-62 with 1:58 remaining, and things were looking good for the Bears.

However, these were the 2023-2024 California Golden Bears, and there was going to be more pain for the Bears and their fans in this one. Ellis and Rodman each made layups to make it 67-66. Tyson and Aimaq each missed layups, and Collier was fouled and made one of two at the line to tie it, 67-67 with 27 seconds to go.

After an intentional foul, Jaylon Tyson missed a three at the buzzer, and we were headed to overtime.

So there you had it, another blown lead for the Bears in this wild roller coaster ride of a season. However, through all the pain, there has been tremendous excitement and glory, and we were about to see whether the Bears had anymore in them.

Aimaq was fouled and made one of two from the line to start overtime, but Ellis laid one in to give the Trojans the lead, 69-68. It was USC’s first lead since Bronny James, the son of NBA star Lebron James, who was in attendance at Haas Pavilion tonight, hit a three to put them up 14-13 in the early part of the first half.

Tyson slammed one down to put the Bears back ahead, but Collier drew a foul and hit two from the line to do the same for USC. Tyson was fouled and hit two from the line, and then Collier was fouled, but only hit one from the line, as the game was tied, 72-72.

Jalen Celestine lit up the sellout crowd at Haas Pavilion with a three to put Cal up 75-72, but of course the Trojans were not going to make this easy. Following a layup by Kobe Johnson, Cone hit a three to make it 78-74, but go figure, Rodman hit a three to make it 78-77 with 36 seconds remaining.

Kennedy then drew a foul, and he hit both from the line to make it 80-77. Aimaq blocked a layup by Collier; then Celestine took the rebound, and was fouled. Celestine made one of two from the line to make it 81-77.

After Rodman missed a three, USC had no choice but to foul Celestine, who took the rebound, but Celestine made both from the line, and Bears held on to win it, 83-77.

Just another painful win for the Bears, who have had so many of them in a comeback season following their second-worst in team history. But hey, if you’re going to have even a close-to-.500 season following a 3-29 season, there is going to be a lot of pain. That’s just how it goes.

With this win, the Bears have won four of their last five. They improve to .500 in conference play at 66, and improve to 10-13 overall. This is also Cal’s first win against USC since Jan. 8, 2017, which was during the Bears’ last winning season.

As for the individual players, Jaylon Tyson had an incredible night, as he scored 27 points. Jalen Cone was also pretty solid with a 20-point performance. Isaiah Collier scored 20, and DJ Rodman scored 17 for USC. Bronny James did hit that three early in the first half, but he only scored five on the night in front of his old man.

Now the Bears will welcome the UCLA Bruins into the House of Pain for a 2:30 p.m. tipoff on Saturday.

Nevada Takes Control And Beats San Jose State 90-60

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photo by SJSU Spartans

Friday, February 2nd, 2024

By Troy Ewers

The Nevada Wolf Pack host the San Jose State Spartans for some Friday night hoops. Four of the eight conference games for SJSU have been decided by three points or fewer. They lost at Wyoming on a buzzer beater, fell by only three to No. 19 San Diego State, won at the buzzer at Air Force and lost on a last-second shot to Fresno State. 

Nevada shot well early in the first half and didn’t stop throughout the half. The Wolf Pack started off on a 12-0 run (25-5 in the first 10 minutes) and the Spartans couldn’t stop them if they tried. The Wolf Pack took control and it was 49-24 at halftime.

Out of the 24 points SJSU scored, three players scored 19 of those points. MJ Amey Jr. had nine, Alvaro Cardenas had seven, and Trey Anderson had three in the first half. The biggest point of concern in the first half was SJSU shooting 37% from the field and 25% from the three point line.

Everything was going well for Nevada as at one point they led by 40 points in the game, Nick Davidson with 22 points and Jarod Lucas with 20 ponts, the game was solidified in the Wolf Pack’s hands. San Jose State had a combination of nothing falling for them and what felt like everything fell for Nevada. The game ends with Nevada winning with no issues 90-60. 

This game was definitely something Tim Miles and the Spartans want to forget and they have four days to do it. SJSU’s next game is February 6th against the Fresno State Bulldogs back in San Jose and this season may be a no go for the Spartans as a Mountain West champion contender, but they still have that dog in them where they won’t end this season without a fight.

UNLV Runnin Rebels Run Over San Jose State Spartans 77-65

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The San Jose Spartans battled and dropped their third game in a row to the UNLV Runnin Rebels at Provident Event Credit Union in San Jose on Sat Jan 27, 2024 (photo by SJSU Spartans)

Saturday, January 27th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

The San Jose State Spartans host UNLV in a conference game. The Spartans won both contests against the Runnin’ Rebels last season, including an overtime win at home and a nine-point victory in Las Vegas.

Tibet Görener scored 11 points in both games while Trey Anderson registered a game-high 19 points in the win on the road. The Spartans couldn’t hold the Runnin Rebels back and went down to defeat 77-65 at Provident Credit Union Event Center in San Jose.

Starting off hot, the Spartans shot 90% from the field and 100% from three in the first nine minutes and gained a controlling lead early. UNLV closed the gap by shooting proficiently from the field, 24 points in the paint, but were scoreless in the final three minutes of the half which kept SJSU on top. SJSU held the lead at half 39-32.

Tibet Gorener and Alvaro Cardenas both led the Spartans with 10 points and SJSU’s largest lead was 12 points. The Spartans have held leads in the past, but they haven’t had a great track record of holding leads. 

The second half was a complete breakdown for the Spartans as they lost the lead to the Rebels halfway through the second half. UNLV went on a 14 of 14 run to end the game and put a dagger in the heart of the Spartans and pop the balloon of energy in the Event Center. UNLV wins 77-65 decisively. Keylan Boone led the Rebels with 18 points and was a huge deciding factor in this game. 

The Spartans couldn’t hold this lead and it’s another loss on the season, most importantly another loss in the Mountain West Conference. The next game for SJSU is against Utah State in Utah on January 30th and the Spartans look to regain some momentum going into February.