Tag: San Jose State Spartans

SJSU loses heartbreaker on the road against UNLV, 38-35

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB

By Ana Kieu

After a bye week, San Jose State football headed to the desert to take on the UNLV Rebels on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. SJSU had hoped to bounce back following a tough 42-40 loss at Hawaii on Saturday, Nov. 9. Sadly, that didn’t happen for the Spartans.

UNLV took an early 7-0 lead on a short touchdown run. SJSU’s Bailey Gaither made a nice grab and the Spartans were in the redzone for the eventual touchdown, courtesy of DeJon Packer, who plowed it in for the touchdown. However, the extra point was no good, so the Spartans settled for the 6 points to cut the Rebels’ lead to 7-6.

The Spartan offense made a great scoring drive, but it was soon silenced by UNLV. The Rebels turned a pair of deflected pass interceptions into touchdowns for a 21-6 lead midway through the second quarter.

SJSU trailed 21-6 at halftime. The Spartans looked to mount a second half rally, but came up just short in the end.

SJSU scored 22 points in the third quarter compared to UNLV’s 3 points. DeJon Packer chipped away at the Rebels’ lead using a 65-yard catch and run. The Spartans made it a 1 score game, thanks to a Packer touchdown and a 2-point conversion. The Spartans trailed 21-14 midway through the third. The Rebels tacked on a long field goal, keeping the Spartans down by 6 in the third.

SJSU had the ball, which led to Tre Webb making a huge play and wrestling the ball away from the Rebel receiver for a turnover. The play was under review and the call stood. Spartan ball at the 1st and 10 and the UNLV 23-yard line. The Spartans tacked on another touchdown when Jack Snyder pulled off the catch and score late in the third. Then, the Spartans took the lead over the Rebels.

UNLV, however, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter compared to SJSU’s 3 points. The Spartans trailed by 3 midway through the fourth, but persevered as Tre Walker made an incredible catch in the endzone to help the Spartans to another lead. Then, SJSU was back in front, 35-31, thanks to an amazing pitch and catch from Josh Love to Tre Walker. Walker had himself a day with 11 catches, 123 yards and 1 touchdown.

The defense got a stop late in the fourth, UNLV punted and SJSU looked to add to its lead with a little over four minutes left in the game. A huge gain allowed the Spartans to be in the Rebels’ redzone. The Spartans converted a third down inside the 10 as they trailed by 3. Then, a batted ball led to a UNLV interception so the Rebels kneeled out the clock and won 38-35.

SJSU wraps up the regular season at home versus arch-rival Fresno State on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 pm PST.

SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana Kieu: Has football bye helped?; Does home court help men’s basketball?; plus more

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB

On the SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana:

1. Football: SJSU was on a bye week last week. The Spartans take on the UNLV Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 23.

2. Men’s basketball: SJSU hosted the Simpson Red Hawks on Sunday, Nov. 17.

3. Men’s soccer: Fourth-seeded CSU Bakersfield scored a late goal to end SJSU’s postseason on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

4. Women’s basketball: SJSU picked up first road victory with 73-70 win over UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Nov. 15.

5. Women’s golf: SJSU signed two winning golfers for the 2020-21 season.

Ana’s final thoughts…

Catch Ana on the SJSU Spartans podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State shoots for third straight win on Saturday

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team will go for a third straight win at 7 pm on Saturday evening when the Portland State Vikings visit the Provident Credit Union Event Center.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s contest.

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (3-2, 0-0 Mountain West)
PPG: 68.6 | FG%: 42.2 | 3FG%: 27.0 | FT%: 58.6

NOTES: The Spartans are looking for their first three-game winning streak since 2016-17 when SJSU won four consecutive games as part of a 14-16 season. The Spartans are shooting for their fourth win of the season just three weeks into the season after posting four total wins in each of the previous two years. Seneca Knight is averaging a team-high 11.8 points per game while shooting 48.9% from the field.

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (1-3, 0-0 Big Sky)
PPG: 79.5 | FG%: 41.7 | 3FG%: 28.8 | FT%: 68.1

SERIES: SJSU leads, 4-1 (2-1 in San Jose)

LAST: SJSU won 76-73 in OT on 12/28/07 in Portland

NOTES: Portland State is 1-3 to start this season after going 16-16 last year, including an 11-9 mark in Big Sky play. Holland Woods is averaging a team-high 18.3 PPG. He had 27 points against Indiana and 22 on Wednesday against Portland. The Vikings are just 19-of-66 from 3-point range this season. Matt Hauser has hit nine of those 3s.

BROADCASTS
TELEVISION: 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”.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow @SanJoseStateMBB on Twitter for in-game updates

ZEALOUS ZACH
A constant in the Spartans’ two straight wins has been the play of reserve guard Zach Chappell. Chappell tallied a season-high 14 points in a win over Simpson on Nov. 17, going 5-of-7 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. Chappell then posted 10 points in the win against Grambling State, again knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. The Spartans are shooting just 27.0 percent on threes on the season but Chappell is shooting 38.1% from deep.

SPARTANS STYMIE GRAMBLING STATE
Grambling State entered the game on Nov. 20 at SJSU with the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 114 points over its first three games. The Spartans held the Tigers to 38 points under their average in an 83-76 win at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. Grambling State was 1-of-10 shooting on 3-pointers.

EFFECTIVE EFFORT IN WIN OVER SIMPSON
The Spartans had 13 different players score in an 85-60 win over Simpson on Nov. 17. Zach Chappell came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Seneca Knight was 6-of-8 shooting for 15 points. Craig LeCesne added 13 points in 19 minutes. Ralph Agee posted 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Harminder Dhaliwal made his collegiate debut and had two points and two rebounds in six minutes.

SPARTANS STUN HOFSTRA IN SEASON OPENER
SJSU opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra on the road, 79-71, on Nov. 6. Hofstra won 27 games last year, SJSU lost 27 games. In his Spartan debut, Richard Washington, a JC transfer and former Wake Forest guard, 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 3-pointers to put the game away. 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 2017-18. 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.

FOUR WINS FOLLOWED BY A TITLE
SJSU hopes to duplicate the success of the 1995-96 squad. The Spartans 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.

SEEING RETURNING STARTERS 
The Spartans return seven players who started at least one game a season ago. Seneca Knight is the most experienced, as the sophomore started 17 games, including the final 12, of his rookie season. Brae Ivey was just behind Knight, as the former junior college transfer started 16 games last season. Craig LeCesne and Zach Chappell both started 15 games last year. Christian Anigwe, guard Isaiah Nichols and walk-on guard Trey Smith each started one game.

SIX NEW PLAYERS
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.

TELEVISION 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 ESPN2 or ESPNU will carry the SJSU 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 teams. 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 games on AT&T SportsNet this season — Jan. 15 at UNLV, Jan. 21 at New Mexico, Feb. 8 at Nevada and Feb. 29 vs. UNLV.

Knight’s career night propels San Jose State to an 83-76 victory over Grambling State

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team had another big game in front of the home crowd at the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Wednesday evening. The Spartans brought their A-game, especially Seneca Knight, who had a career night scoring a career-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting and pulling own 8 boards in the Spartans’ 83-76 win over the Tigers.

SJSU’s starting five featured Brae Ivey, Seneca Knight, Craig LeCesne, Christian Anigwe and Eduardo Lane. The Spartans won the tip and the game versus Grambling State went underway.

It was a tie game 7-7 at the 15:53 mark of the first half. Knight scored 5 points from the get-go to help the Spartans stay on the top of their game. Well, at least for parts of the game.

Check out this clip.

SJSU trailed 13-12 at the 11:32 mark of the half. However, Knight was a bright spot for the Spartans. The Lafayette, La. native had a team-high 7 points.

Knight remained a red-hot guard throughout the game, but let’s not forget about the other SJSU players. Zach Chapell made a beautiful dish to LeCesne for the flush. The flush kept the Spartans in the game. The Spartans trailed the Tigers 19-18 with 8:12 left in the half.

SJSU took a 24-22 lead over Grambling State with 6:18 left in the half. Ivey and Trey Smith knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers and then Smith made a deep 3 to help the Spartans’ cause.

Ralph Agee proved he had the moves. Agee made a layup under the basket to lift the Spartans to a 35-34 lead just moments before the end of the half. SJSU took a 35-34 lead to the locker room at the halftime break.

Soon enough, SJSU was back on the court. Knight buried a 3 from downtown and then scored inside the paint to put the Spartans ahead 40-34 at the 18:30 mark of the second half. Knight also showed some range, which was a great thing, and recorded double figures for the second straight game.

Grambling State went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead down to 50-48 at the 12:45 mark of the half. But SJSU refused to back down. LeCesne buried a corner 3 and Chappell buried a corner 3 of his own with less than 7 minutes left in the half. The Spartans held onto a 9-point lead, 71-62, at the final media timeout with 4 minutes left in regulation, and went on to beat the Tigers 83-76.

The Spartans host the Portland State Vikings on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 pm PST.

San Jose State heads to UNLV for final road game of the 2019 season

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

It’s game week for the San Jose State Spartans football and Spartan Nation is going to get their game faces on. The Spartans travel to Las Vegas to take on the UNLV Rebels. The Spartans also look to snap a two-game losing skid.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game.

GAME #11
San Jose State at UNLV
Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
Saturday, November 23, 2019, 1:00 pm PST
AT&T SportsNet

SAN JOSE STATE RECORD
4-6, 1-5 Mountain West. Most recently, the Spartans lost at Hawaii, 42-40, on Nov. 9 in a Mountain West game. SJSU seeks to end its second two-game losing streak of the season.

UNLV RECORD
2-8, 0-6 Mountain West. The Rebels lost to Hawaii, 21-7, on Nov. 16, in a conference contest. UNLV is in the midst of its second four-game losing streak this season.

RADIO
KKSF (910 AM, Oakland), RealTalk 910, is the new flagship radio station for San Jose State Spartans football. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The UNLV broadcast begins at 12:30 pm PST with a pregame show.

Network affiliates are KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas), KFIV (1360 AM, Modesto), KWSX (1280 AM, Stockton).

TELEVISION
AT&T Sports Network will provide broadcast coverage beginning at 1:00 pm PST. Drew Goodman calls the play-by-play. Sed Bonner provides commentary. AT&T Sports Network is available on DirecTV Channel 684, and DISH Network Channel 414.

SERIES HISTORY
SJSU leads the series, 16-6-1. The Spartans have won eight of the last nine meetings between these teams, including a 50-37 decision in San Jose, Calif. in 2018. The home team has wins in each of the last three games including UNLV’s 41-13 victory on Sept. 30, 2017 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

This year’s meeting is the second time these teams are playing on a Nov. 23 date. In 1996, SJSU closed out the season and withstood a Rebels’ fourth-quarter rally for a 31-28 victory in Spartan Stadium. The game was the final one for the late John Ralston as a college football head coach.

SAM BOYD STADIUM
SJSU is playing its 12th game in Sam Boyd Stadium. The Spartans have a 7-4 win-loss record in the stadium.

Two of the program’s 10 overtime games have been in Sam Boyd Stadium, both of them single-overtime victories. SJSU’s first overtime game in school history was a 55-48 win on Nov. 22, 1997. On Oct. 10, 2015, the Spartans edged the Rebels, 33-27 for their most recent overtime win. SJSU has a 3-7 record in overtime contests.

THREE ROAD WINS, MAYBE?
SJSU can pick up its third road win this season at UNLV. Earlier this season, the Spartans won on the road at Arkansas (31-24) in the Central Time Zone and Army (34-29) in the Eastern Time Zone.

The last time SJSU won three road games in a season was in 2013 when the Spartans were victorious at Hawaii (37-27), at Colorado State (34-27), and at UNLV (34-24).

BACK-TO-BACK 40-POINT GAMES
SJSU scored 42 points in its Nov. 2 home game vs. Boise State and 40 points in its Nov. 9 road encounter at Hawaii. The last time the Spartans scored 40 or more points in three or more consecutive games was at the end of the 1990 season when that team did it in four consecutive contests piling up 190 points.

30-POINT GAMES IN 2019
SJSU has scored 30 or more points in seven of its 10 games this season compared to four a year ago. The last time the Spartans scored 30 or more points seven times in a season was in 2013.

The last time SJSU scored 30 or more points eight times in a season was in 2012 when the Spartans did it eight times en route to an 11-2 win-loss record and a Military Bowl victory.

POINTS OFF OF TURNOVERS
After 10 games, SJSU has scored 68 points off of opponent turnovers compared to the opponent’s seven. The last three of the Spartan points came in the 42-40 loss at Hawaii on Nov. 9. The first opponent points off a Spartan turnover came in the Oct. 12 Nevada victory on an interception return for a touchdown.

GREAT GAITHER
Wide receiver Bailey Gaither became the first SJSU player in school history to catch a touchdown pass in six consecutive games with his 40-yard scoring reception in the Hawaii game on Nov. 9.

The previous record was five consecutive games with a touchdown catch. Current SJSU graduate assistant and former wide receiver Chandler Jones was the first to do it in 2013.

TWO-GAME STREAK WITH TWO 100-YARD RECEIVERS
The Nov. 2 Boise State game and the Nov. 9 contest at Hawaii each had two Spartans with 100-yard receiving games.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

Prior to the Nov. 2 game, the Oct. 29, 2016 UNLV win was the last time two Spartans had 100 or more receiving yards in the same game. Wide receivers Tim Crawley caught eight passes for 114 yards and Tre Hartley had five receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

POWERFUL PACKER
Running back DeJon Packer is the Spartans’ only player to score more than one touchdown in a game this season. He rushed for two touchdowns in the Nevada, Boise State and Hawaii games. Packer’s nine rushing touchdowns in a season are the most since running back Tyler Ervin, now with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, ran for 13 touchdowns in 2015.

San Jose State downs Simpson 85-60

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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.

SJSU MBB caps doubleheader on Sunday vs. Simpson

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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.

SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana Kieu: Which football team came out to play?; What’s up with the men’s basketball team?; plus more

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB:

On the SJSU Spartans podcast with Ana:

1. Football: SJSU came up just short at Hawaii 42-40 on Nov. 9th.

2. Football: SJSU’s next game will be at UNLV on Nov. 23rd.

3. Men’s basketball: SJSU opened the season with a 79-71 win over Hofstra on Nov. 6th.

4. Men’s basketball: SJSU dropped home opener to Portland 72-57 on Nov. 10th. Also, do you think SJSU’s game at #21 Arizona on Nov. 14th was a revenue game?

5. Men’s soccer: SJSU couldn’t complete comeback in regular season finale at Seattle University in 3-1 loss on Nov. 9th.

Ana’s final thoughts.

Catch Ana on the SJSU Spartans podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

#19 Arizona takes down San Jose State in Tucson

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By Ana Kieu

The San Jose State men’s basketball was in the desert to take on the 19-ranked Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center Thursday evening. This was the Spartans and Wildcats first meeting since 1984.

SJSU was welcomed by Arizona, but the warm welcome ended sooner than later. The Spartans’ starting lineup featured Brae Ivey, Seneca Knight, Christian Anigwe, Eduardo Lane and Craig LeCesne. The Spartans won the possession and the tipoff and first half in Tuscon, Ariz. went underway. The Wildcats had an early 5-3 lead at the 15:08 mark during the first media timeout. The Spartans’ Richard Washington knocked down his first 3-pointer to tie the score 8-8 at the 14:09 mark.

Arizona led 17-10 at the second media timeout with 9:54 left. However, SJSU’s Ralph Agee made the most of his minutes early with 4 points and 3 boards.

Arizona built up their lead, 29-16, at the final media timeout of the first half with 3:01 left. The Wildcats kept going at it, taking a 39-17 lead to the locker room at the halftime break.

Things weren’t any better in the second half for the Spartans. The Wildcats led 40-22 at the first media timeout at the 15:52 mark. Then, SJSU scored the first 7 points of the half as they continued to chip away in 40-24 deficit.

The Spartans went on a 9-0 run, but it came to an end on a 3-ball, but LeCesne converted on the ensuing possession at the 13:18 mark. Yet, SJSU was optimistic as they tweeted that they were still in it, despite a 43-28 deficit.

The Wildcats responded with a run of their own. Soon enough, Arizona was in the driver’s seat with a commanding 61-29 lead with 8:12 left to play. The Wildcats won 87-39.

With the loss, SJSU fell to 1-2, while Arizona improved to 3-0.

The Spartans return home to host the Simpson Red Hawks on Sunday, November 17 at 4 pm PT.

SJSU MBB on Pac-12 Network Thursday at #19 Arizona

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball continues the non-conference portion of its 2019-20 schedule with a trip to Tuscon on Thursday against the Arizona Wildcats for a 5 PM PT tip on Pac-12 Networks.

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (1-1, 0-0 MW)
PPG: 68.0 | FG%: 43.5 | 3FG%: 27.1 | FT%: 50.0

Notes: San José State opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra on the road last Wednesday. It was the Spartans’ first road win since 2017, snapping a 21-game road losing streak. The Spartans dropped their home opener, 72-57, against Portland on Sunday. Former Wake Forest guard Richard Washington leads SJSU in scoring at 17.0 points per game with forward Craig LeCesne also in double-figures at 12.5 points per game.

#19 ARIZONA WILDCATS (2-0, 0-0 P12)
PPG: 90.5 | FG%: 54.9 | 3FG%: 41.0 | FT%: 73.8

Series: SJSU trails, 4-9 (2-7 in Tucson)

Last: SJSU lost on the road, 79-44, on Dec. 1, 1984

Notes: Arizona is 2-0 after posting wins against Northern Arizona and Illinois. A trio of freshman, Nico Mannion, Josh Green and Zeke Nnaji combined for 53 points in the blowout win, 90-69, over the Illini. The 6-foot-11 Nnaji is the team’s leading scorer thus far at 19.5 points per game. The Wildcats have 10 different players averaging 10+ minutes per game.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV — Pac-12 Networks with Daron Sutton and Matt Muehlebach announcing.

Stream — Pac-12.com with a cable login

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

ARIZONA SERIES HISTORY
– Arizona leads the all-time series at 4-9

– The Wildcats hold a 7-2 edge at home

– Last meeting was a 79-44 loss in Tucson on Dec. 1, 1984.

– The Spartans won three of the first five meetings.

– Arizona has won six straight games in the series.

MARRION KNOWS HOW TO WIN IN TUCSON
– SJSU assistant coach Tim Marrion spent last year on former Washington State head coach Ernie Kent’s staff.

– The Cougars defeated Arizona at the McKale Center, 69-55, behind 31 points and seven three-pointers from forward Robert Franks. Guard CJ Elleby added 18 points.

– WSU held Arizona to just 26.1% shooting from three.

SJSU AGAINST THE TOP-25
– SJSU’s last win against a top-25 team was on Dec. 27, 1996. The Spartans topped No. 19 ranked Alabama, 60-59 in overtime.

– The Spartans have four wins overall against top-25 teams.

– SJSU’s last game against a top-25 team was a 92-53 loss to No. 10 Nevada last season.

TURNOVER IMPROVEMENT
– A goal this year for head coach Jean Prioleau was to cut down on his team’s turnovers. The Spartans averaged 15.6 turnovers per game last season.

– This year, the Spartans are averaging 12.0 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 85 in the NCAA.

SJSU STUNS 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 
– 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.

SJSU 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.