Tag: San Jose State Spartans

San Jose State to take on Utah State in conference matchup Wednesday

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball will face a familiar opponent this Wednesday as they take on Utah State for the second time this month. Wednesday’s game will be played in Logan, Utah, starting at 7:00 pm PT. Justin Allegri will have the call on the TuneIn app and fans can watch the game on the Mountain West Network.

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

Game No. 20
San Jose State (3-16, 0-7) at Utah State (15-5, 5-2)
Wednesday, January 30, 7:00 pm PT
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum
Logan, Utah

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

TuneIn
Check out the video below for a quick tutorial on how to access the Spartans radio call on TuneIn.

What Would a Win Mean?
SJSU’s second win in the last three tries against USU. It would also put an end to the Spartans’ 10-game losing skid and give them their first win in conference play in 2019.

How About Them Newcomers?
The Spartans have played nine first-year players this season, including regular starters Michael Steadman, Zach Chappell, Craig LeCesne and Brae Ivey. The newcomers are accounting for 67.2% of the Spartans’ offense (835-1241).

Steadman alone is accounting for nearly 20% of the team’s offense with 246 points.

Baumann the Boss
Sophomore Noah Baumann is shooting lights out from beyond the arc this season, so good in fact that he leads the Mountain West in 3-point percentage at 49.0%. Baumann also ranks in the top-10 in the MW in 3-pointers per game (2.5).

In the loss to USU, Baumann had one of the most impressive performances of his career as he scored a career-high 29 points and tied the school record with seven 3-pointers (7-of-10). He also set career highs in 3-point attempts and field goal attempts.

Baumann holds the first and third highest-scoring performances by a Spartan this season with 29 vs. USU and 23 vs. Northern Arizona. The sophomore is averaging 10.4 points in conference play, second-most on the team (Steadman).

Baumann has hit at least one 3-point basket in 17 straight games this season, tying Devante Wilson in the 2013-14 season for the most consecutive 3-pointers made in the last 10 seasons.

Last season as a freshmen, Baumann finished the year 40-for-87 (.460) from the 3-point range. He has already eclipsed those numbers with 11 regular season games to go (47-96, .490).

Chastain Taking Over
Junior center Ashtin Chastain has been tasked to fill in the gap in the starting lineup with senior Oumar Barry, who has been sidelined with an injury. Chastain has started the last two games in his stead and is averaging six points and 8.5 rebounds in those starts.

Chastain scored a season-best seven points in the first start at Wyoming and followed up with with a career-high 13 rebounds in a season-high 39 minutes vs. Air Force.

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

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. The 6’10” forward is averaging a team-high 12.9 points per game and ranks fifth in the MW with 8.6 rebounds per game. Steadman has seven double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the conference and has scored in double figures in 16-of-19 games. He also has nine games with double-digit rebounds.

Steadman is coming off his 7th double-double of the season in the double-overtime loss to Air Force. He put up a career-high 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.

Switch It Up
Prioleau has used eight different lineups throughout the season with no one player starting each time out. Barry had started the first 17 games before an injury kept him out of the lineup the last two games. Seven newcomers have made starts, including freshmen Seneca Knight, Zach Chappell and Trey Smith.

Boards Up
In the loss to Air Force, the Spartans pulled down double digit rebounds (Ashtin Chastain: 13, Michael Steadman: 12, Craig LeCesne: 12) becoming the first SJSU trio since 2008 to achieve the feat since December 28, 2008 when Chris Oakes (17), Time Pierce (15) and C.J. Webster (10) against William Jessup.

Few and Far Between
SJSU has committed the fewest fouls in the MW this season with 16.8 per game and ranks 40th nationally in the category.

Series History vs. Utah State
USU holds the series lead at 61-22 and won the first meeting of the season, 81-63, in San Jose. SJSU defeated USU 64-62 last season at home on February 28. It was the first win for the Spartans in the series since February 18, 2008.

The Aggies, who are led by first-year head coach Craig Smith, are one of the most well-rounded teams in the conference. They lead the MW in scoring defense and rank second in scoring offense. They also lead the conference in field goal percentage defense, free throw percentage, rebounding margin, blocked shots, assists and defensive rebounds.

San Jose State drops 73-71 heartbreaker to Air Force in double OT thriller

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball was still seeking its first conference win of the season and the Air Force Falcons made it difficult, despite the home advantage inside the Event Center Saturday evening.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau went with a starting lineup, which featured the likes of Noah Baumann, Seneca Knight, Craig LeCesne, Ashtin Chastain, and Michael Steadman.

SJSU got off to a fast start to open the scoring in the first half. The Spartans went on a 8-0 run in the opening 3:44, which was eventually snapped by the Falcons’ A.J. Walker, who made a layup at the 14:40 mark of the first.

Air Force climbed its way back into the game, but SJSU maintained the lead, whether it was big or small. Steadman was being Steady Steadman and scored 10 points early on, which helped him record his 15th game of the season where he entered the double figure scoring territory.

SJSU continued to hold a 9-point lead, 25-16, with 3:13 left in the half. Baumann also helped the Spartans extend their lead to 28-16 with his second 3-pointer of the game late in the half.

SJSU achieved its first halftime lead, 31-19, in conference play so far this season.

Unlike the first half, the second half was all Air Force in the early stages. Sid Tomes hit a 3 just 46 seconds in, Lavelle Scottie followed up with a fastbreak layup, and then Tomes was at it again by knocking down a jumper.

Both teams exchanged points throughout the half. A notable Spartan moment was when Steadman amazed the home crowd again. Steadman used the high glass to beat the buzzer with 5:43 left in the half.

As the clock continued to run and pause, SJSU realized that they had to do something to win or at least even the score. It was a down-to-the-wire type of game, and at the final media timeout, Air Force led 51-48, with 3:38 left in the half. The Spartans continued to trail by 3, then the Falcons made it a 5-point game with 1:07 left. Steadman hit a 3 to pull the Spartans within 2 with 42 seconds left.

Sure, Air Force extended its lead to 56-53, as Chris Joyce made a free throw with four seconds left. Then, SJSU changed the game, thanks to Brae Ivey, who hit a 3 right after Joyce’s free throw. The game was tied 56-56 at the end of the half.

The game went into overtime, which allowed SJSU to breathe a sigh of relief. Though, SJSU still had work to do, so they were unable to look at overtime with a grain of salt.

SJSU wasted absolutely no time in overtime. Ivey started things off with a pair of free throws, Baumann hit a 3, and Steadman added a free throw. The Spartans led 62-58 with 2:38 left in overtime.

Air Force used back-to-back 3s by Caleb Morris and Chris Joyce to take their first lead, 64-63, in overtime with 54 seconds left. AJ Walker made it a 1-point game with a fastbreak free throw with 30 seconds left. Then, SJSU tied the game 65-65, thanks to Ivey’s layup, and forced a double overtime.

Air Force jumped out to a 68-65 lead early in the double overtime, as Morris hit a 3 just 16 seconds in. The Falcons took a 70-66 lead on Ryan Swan’s layup; but the Spartans made it a 1-point game, thanks to Ivey’s 3. Knight added a layup to help the Spartans get ahead 71-70, but the Falcons stunned the home crowd when Joyce hit a late 3 to get back on top 73-71.

SJSU (3-16, 0-7 MW) lost to Air Force (9-11, 4-4 MW) by a final score of 73-71 in double overtime.

SJSU heads to Logan, Utah to take on the Utah State Aggies next Wednesday at 6:00 pm PT.

San Jose State will welcome Air Force Saturday night

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball will welcome the Air Force Academy to the Event Center for a 6:00 pm tip Saturday. The game can be streamed online on the Mountain West Network. Justin Allegri will have the radio call on KLIV 1590 AM, broadcasting their final men’s basketball game of the season.

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

Game No. 19
Air Force (8-11, 3-4 MW) at San Jose State (3-15, 0-6 MW)
Saturday, Jan. 26, 6:00 pm PT
The Event Center (5,000)
San Jose, Calif.

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

What Would a Win Mean?
SJSU’s fourth win over Air Force in the last six games. After the Spartans won three straight in 2016 and 2017, the Falcons swept both games last season (78-71 and 83-61). A win would also put an end to SJSU’s nine-game losing skid.

Newcomers Amp up Offense
The Spartans have played nine first-year players this season, including regular starters Michael Steadman, Zach Chappell, Craig LeCesne and Brae Ivey. The newcomers are accounting for 66.9% of the Spartans’ offense (783-1170).

Steadman alone is accounting for nearly 19% of the Spartans’ offense with 222 points.

Baumann the Boss
Sophomore Noah Baumann is shooting lights out from beyond the arc this season, so good in fact that he leads the MW in 3-point percentage at 50.6 percent. Baumann also ranks in the top-10 in the MW in 3-pointers per game (2.4)

In the loss to Utah State, Baumann had one of the most impressive performances of his career as he scored a career-high 29 points and tied the school record with seven 3-pointers (7-of-10). He also set career highs in 3-point attempts and field goal attempts.

Baumann holds the top two scoring performances by a Spartan this season with 29 vs. USU and 23 vs. Northern Arizona. He’s averaging 10.2 points in conference play, which is tied for the team lead and is shooting 48% from 3-point range in conference games.

Baumann has hit at least one 3-point basket in 16 straight games this season. It’s the longest such streak since Devante Wilson hit 17-straight in 2013-14.

Last season as a freshman, Baumann finished the year 40-for-87 (.460) from the 3-point range. Entering Saturday’s game, he is 44-for-87, with 12 regular season games remaining.

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

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. The 6’10″ forward is averaging a team-high 12.3 points per game and ranks fifth in the MW with 8.4 rebounds per game. He has six double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the conference and has scored in double figures in 15-of-18 games. He also has eight games with double-digit rebounds.

Changes
Prioleau has used seven different lineups throughout the season with no player starting each time out. Senior Oumar Barry had started the first 17 games before an injury kept him out of the lineup at Wyoming. Seven newcomers have made starts, including freshmen Seneca Knight, Zach Chappell, and Trey Smith.

Series History vs. Air Force
Saturday’s game will be the 14th overall meeting between the Spartans and Falcons. SJSU has a pair of three-game win streaks in the series. The Spartans have won three of the last five games, however, Air Force is on a two-game win streak.

Air Force checks in with an 8-11 overall record and 3-4 mark in conference play and is tied for sixth in the conference standings. The Falcons are led by a great offensive weapon in Lavelle Scottie, who ranks fifth in the MW in scoring, in conference play with 17.3 points per game. Junior forward Ryan Swan will prove to be a big test for Michael Steadman for the boards as he checks in right behind Steadman with 8.0 rebounds per game and is second in the conference with 2.7 offensive rebounds per game.

The Falcons are led by seventh-year head coach Dave Pilipovich.

San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu: Men’s basketball continues to tumble; Prayers up for former football head coach Dick Tomey

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB and @CoachBrennan

On the San Jose State podcast with Ana:

1. SJSU went cold last Saturday and got blown out by UNLV 94-56 in Las Vegas.

2. Former SJSU head coach Dick Tomey underwent treatment for lung cancer last week. Tomey coached the Spartans from 2005-2009.

3. SJSU wrapped up a brief, two-game road trip in Laramie, Wyo. against the Wyoming Cowboys Wednesday.

4. SJSU tight end Josh Oliver was the most targeted TE in the country a season ago.

Catch Ana on the San Jose State podcast each week at SportsRadioService.com. Don’t forget folks, you can follow Ana directly on Twitter @AnaKieu.

San Jose State TE Josh Oliver shares Senior Bowl experience

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State University tight end Josh Oliver will be playing in the 2019 Senior Bowl on Saturday, January 26. The game will be televised by the NFL Network from Mobile, Ala., 1:30 pm CT/11:30 am PT. The game will also be available to DirecTV subscribers on Channel 212 and to DISH Network subscribers on Channel 154.

For Oliver, the next step in his dream to play in the NFL is at the Senior Bowl, the week of January 20-26.   The 2018 first-team All-Mountain West selection arrived in Mobile, the site of the Senior Bowl, on January 20 and has been constantly on the move between learning a playbook, practices, classroom sessions with league personnel, interviews with teams and the media, and signing autographs for those fortunate fans getting to see him up close in person.

Here’s the Q&A that Oliver recently had.

Q: What did you do to prepare for this week at the Senior Bowl?

Oliver: Over time, working hard, working on my craft in the off-season, working for the goal of getting to the NFL, ultimately. I think that’s what helped me get a spot here to compete with this level of competition.

Q: Describe your daily schedule so far?

Oliver: I flew in about 6:00 pm on Sunday, had dinner and had multiple texts from (team) scouts asking for interviews. I did interviews until about 11:00 pm

Woke up Monday at 6:30 am and did weigh-ins. There were position meetings to get a playbook installation, practice, psychological testing from 8:00 to 11:00 pm.

Had kind of the same schedule the next day (Tuesday). We had formal NFL interviews that night.

Today (Wednesday) was pretty similar.

Q: There are more media reports surfacing about your NFL draft status. How are you dealing with what these reports are saying?

Oliver: No one really knows who is going to pick whom in what round. Only the scouts, the GMs and the owners essentially know that and they aren’t going to let that information out to the public. People are just talking and stuff. You just have to take it with a grain of salt.

Q: Describe what it is like to coached by a NFL team and specifically the San Francisco 49ers’ coaching staff – one that paved the way for tight end George Kittle to earn All-Pro status in just two seasons?

Oliver: It is an awesome experience. It’s an offense that definitely feeds the tight end. Seeing their plays, their route concepts, their blocking schemes, it’s just really cool to have this opportunity. Watching film on George Kittle and everything he’s done there is a great opportunity to see how to be successful in the NFL as a tight end. Their scheme gives you a chance to do that.

Q: Is there anything about the week so far that either has been a surprise to you or something you will remember for a long time?

Oliver: The level of passion the people in Mobile have for the game. You walk around and everybody knows you are here for the Senior Bowl. They’re talking to you about it. They’re asking for autographs. It’s been a surreal experience.

Q: What do hope to accomplish the rest of the week and on game day?

Oliver: I hope to come out and compete with the best of them–the Power 5 programs. To show that I am from a Mountain West school and that I can compete with the best of them. In the game, I want to come out and compete.

San Jose State loses 59-46 to Wyoming to drop ninth straight

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball looked to notch their first conference win of the season, but the Wyoming Cowboys sort of gave them a hard time Wednesday night at the Arena-Auditorium.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau set a starting lineup, featuring Trey Smith, Noah Baumann, Zach Chappell, Michael Steadman, and Ashtin Chastain.

SJSU won the tip and the conference game went underway in Laramie, Wyo. The Spartans were unable to get off to a good start, which might’ve been a good thing considering the fact that they tend to blow leads, but they opened the game 0-6 from the field, which was downright awful. Wyoming led 7-0 at the first media timeout.

SJSU mustered just four points and trailed 13-4 at the second media timeout. But things slowly came into place as Baumann hit a 3-pointer for the 16th straight game for the Spartans, who went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead 20-14 with 6:45 left in the first half. The Spartans proceeded to cut the lead even more with what became a 10-0 run to cut the lead 20-18 with 4:51 left in the half.

The tables turned when Chastain converted his second free throw to tie the game 22-22 with 1:20 left in the half. The Spartans used a 16-4 run in the final 7:44 to tie the game 24-24 at halftime. Isaiah Nichols recorded excellent minutes off the bench with 14 minutes, 7 points, 3 assists, and no turnovers.

The Spartans held onto a 1-point lead, 28-27, but that changed when the Cowboys’ Justin James wanted a dunk in transition, but ended up making a steal and hitting a 3 to take regain the lead, 30-28, at the 17:46 mark of the second half.

The Cowboys went on a 11-0 run for a 35-28 lead at the 11:37 mark of the half. The Cowboys didn’t stop there as they took advantage of the Spartans, who went cold all of a sudden, and made it a 18-2 run for a 42-30 lead with 8:42 left in the half.

The Spartans got just what the doctor ordered, but it was too little, too late. Both Baumann and Ivey sanked a pair of 3s and SJSU chipped their way back into the lead, but continued to trail 47-38 with 4:40 left in the half. The Spartans (3-15, 0-6 MW) eventually took a 59-46 loss for their ninth consecutive loss. The Cowboys (5-14, 1-5 MW) picked up their first conference win of the season.

SJSU returns home to host the Air Force Falcons this Saturday at 6:00 pm PT.

San Jose State concludes two-game road trip in Wyoming Wednesday

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball wraps up a short two-game road trip Wednesday with a stop in Laramie, Wyo. to take on the Wyoming Cowboys at 6:00 pm PT inside the Arena-Auditorium. Justin Allegri will have the Spartans radio call on KLIV 1590 AM. Fans can watch online on the Mountain West Network.

Here’s what you need to know about Wednesday’s conference game.

Game No. 18
San Jose State (3-14, 0-5) at Wyoming (4-14, 0-5)
Wednesday, Jan. 23, 6:00 pm PT
Arena-Auditorium
Laramie, Wyo.

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

What Would a Win Mean?
The Spartans are looking to break a six-game losing streak to the Cowboys and are seeking their first-ever win in Laramie (0-9). A win would also snap an eight-game losing skid and give SJSU their first conference win of the season.

Newcomers Assist the Spartans’ Offense
The Spartans played nine first-year players this season, including regular starters Michael Steadman, Zach Chappell, Craig LeCesne and Brae Ivey. These newcomers are accounting for 67% of the Spartans’ offense (760-1124).

Baumann the Boss
Sophomore Noah Baumann has been shooting lights out from beyond the arc this season, so good that he leads the Mountain West in 3-point percentage at 53.8%. Baumann also ranks in the top-10 in the MW in 3-pointers per game (2.4)

In the loss to Utah State, Baumann had one of the most impressive performances of his career as he scored a career-high 29 points and tied the school record with seven 3s (7-of-10). He also set career highs in 3-point attempts and field goal attempts.

Baumann holds the top two scoring performances by a Spartan this season with 29 vs. Utah State and 23 vs. Northern Arizona. The sophomore is averaging 10.6 points in conference play, which leads the team and is shooting 48% from the 3-point range in conference games.

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

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. The 6’10” forward is averaging a team-high 12.4 points per game and ranks fifth in the MW with 8.4 rebounds per game. Steadman has six double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the conference and has scored in double figures in 14-of-17 games. He also has eight games with double-digit rebounds.

Series History vs. Wyoming
Wyoming leads the overall series 14-2 and has won six games. The Spartans’ last win was on January 13, 2016 in a 62-55 victory at the Event Center in San Jose, Calif. SJSU’s other win was Feb. 22, 1997 (67-62), which was also in San Jose. The Spartans are 0-9 in games played in Laramie.

Wyoming checks in at 10th place in the MW standings with a 4-14 overall record and 0-5 start to conference play. Do-it-all Guard Jalen James leads the Cowboys in scoring (20.6 points per game) and rebounds (9.1 per game). The senior was a preseason All-Conference Team selection.

The Cowboys are led by Allen Edwards, who’s in his third season at the helm.

San Jose State TE Josh Oliver to play in 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl Saturday

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State University tight end Josh Oliver is one of six college tight ends who will play in the 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl Saturday.

Game time set for 1:30 pm CT/11:30 am PT from Ladd-Peebles Stadium. NFL Network will provide live broadcast coverage. DirecTV subscribers can tune in on Channel 212. DISH Network subscribers should be able to find Channel 154.

Oliver will wear the No. 89, his SJSU jersey number, and play for the South team coached by Mike Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff. In the last two seasons, the 49ers developed one of the league’s top tight ends in 2019 Pro Bowl selection George Kittle.

South team practice sessions are open to the public from January 22nd to January 24th.

In 2018, Oliver was one of the most productive tight ends in the FBS. The first-team All-Mountain West selection had single-season personal bests of 56 receptions for 709 yards and four touchdowns. His 56 receptions were third best among FBS tight ends; the 709 receiving yards were fifth highest. All that was accomplished without benefit of playing in a conference championship and/or a bowl game.

Perhaps Oliver’s best statistic of the 2018 season was his penchant for keeping SJSU’s offense on the field. Of his 56 receptions, 38 resulted in a first down, nearly a 68% rate.

For his career, Oliver caught 98 passes for 1,067 yards. All but seven of his receptions came during his junior and senior seasons, respectively.

The Paso Robles, Calif., resident is the second SJSU tight end to participate in Senior Bowl activities. Ryan Otten was the first in 2013.

San Jose State gets run over by UNLV 94-56

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball had hoped for the Thomas & Mack Center, home of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, to see a Spartan win Saturday night. After all, Thomas & Mack has seen a lot of excellent events throughout the years.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau went with a starting lineup featuring Brae Ivey, Noah Baumann, Zach Chappell, Michael Steadman and Oumar Barry.

Last time out, Baumann knocked down a program record tying seven 3-pointers. Fast forward to Saturday when SJSU started a two-game road trip, starting at UNLV.

SJSU won the tip and the game went underway in Las Vegas. The Spartans trailed 10-4 at the first media timeout. Things faltered from there, as the Rebels went on a 11-0 run and the Spartans fell into a larger deficit, 21-6, at the second media timeout.

It was all Rebels in the first half. Nickalas Blair found Jonathan Tchamwa in transition for the dunk. Bryce Hamilton got the steal, save and score for a notable heads up play. Trey Woodbury hit a corner 3 to extend the Rebels’ lead to 21. The Spartans shot just 31% compared to the Rebels’ 53%. Prioleau was visibly upset and the Spartans shrugged off to the locker room with a 46-25 deficit at the half.

The Spartans’ turnovers and overall offense proved to be a continual problem in the second half. SJSU trailed 68-35 at the 11:58 mark.

Should we be surprised? Not really. The Rebels continued to play high-caliber basketball. Joel Ntambwe knocked down a triple. Hamilton followed up with a step-back jumpshot for 3.

Prioleau used every player on the Spartans’ bench in hopes of a scoring streak, but the Spartans’ offense was unable to score at an average or higher level. SJSU trailed by thirty, 77-47, with 7:21 left.

The Rebels put the game out of reach and expanded its lead to 85-49 with 4:49 seconds left. All the Spartans could do was wrap things up and gear up for their next opponent.

The Spartans never took the lead and used their final timeout with 50 seconds left. The Rebels hit at a sky-high rate, ran their offense and dribbled the game out. SJSU lost 94-56 for their eighth straight loss.

SJSU dropped to 3-14, 0-5 MW, while UNLV improved to 10-7, 4-1 MW.

SJSU heads to Laramie, Wyo. to take the Wyoming Cowboys Wednesday, January 23 at 6:00 pm PT.

San Jose State to take on UNLV in Las Vegas Saturday

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball will play the front end of a two-game road swing Saturday as they take on UNLV at the Thomas and Mack Center Saturday. The game will be televised by AT&T SportsNet. Jenny Cavnar and Dave Bollwinkel will have the call. Fans can also tune in to KLIV 1590 AM to hear Justin Allegri’s radio call.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s conference matchup.

Game #17
San Jose State (3-13, 0-4) at UNLV (9-7, 3-1)
Saturday, Jan. 19, 4:30 pm PT
Thomas and Mack Center (18,000)
Las Vegas, Nev.

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

What Would a Win Mean?
The Spartans are looking to for their third win in the last five attempts against UNLV. SJSU won back-to-back games in 2017 before falling in both games last season. A win on Saturday would also be the Spartans’ third road win all-time in the series.

Baumann the Boss
Sophomore Noah Baumann is shooting lights out from beyond the arc this season. Like, so good that he leads the NCAA D1 in 3-point percentage at 54.7%. The next closest is Dartmouth’s Brendan Barry (51.9%). Baumann also ranks in the top-10 in the MW in 3-pointers per game (2.6)

Baumann is coming off one of the most impressive performances of his career as he scored a career-high 29 points in the loss to Utah State. He tied the school record with seven 3s (7-of-10) and set career highs in 3-point attempts and FG attempts.

Baumann now holds the top two scoring performances by a Spartan this season with 29 vs. Utah State and 23 vs. Northern Arizona. The sophomore is averaging 11.8 points in conference play, which leads the team and is shooting 50% from 3-point range in conference games.

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

Raining 3’s
The Spartans are coming off a season-high 12 made 3-pointers against USU, led by Baumann’s seven and Zach Chappell’s three. They finished shooting 50% for the game, which is the third time SJSU has shot at least 50% this season (53.3% vs. CSU-Bakersfield and 50% at Cal).

 SJSU ranks sixth in the MW in 3-point percentage (34.5%) in all games and second in the MW in league play (37.2%).

Winning the Boards
SJSU’s matchup with UNLV features a pair of very good rebounding teams. The Rebels rank second in the MW in rebounding margin (+8.2) while SJSU ranks fourth (+2.9). UNLV also leads the conference in offensive boards at 15.7 per game, with SJSU just behind at 11.1.

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. The 6’10 forward is averaging a team-high 12.3 points per game and ranks fifth in the MW with 8.5 rebounds per game. Steadman has six double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the MW and has scored in double figures in 13-of-16 games. He also has eight games with double-digit rebounds.

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

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

Barry then scored a career-high 18 points before fouling out with 4:36 to play at Cal and led the team with 11 points at Saint Mary’s. He also scored 16 points in the loss to Boise State, his seventh game in double figures on the season.

Series History With UNLV
UNLV holds the overall series record 37-6 and is 19-2 in home games. The Spartans have played the Rebels very competively the last five seasons, winning both games in 2017 and losing both in 2018 by a combined 15 points, including a 76-82 overtime loss on January 3.

The Rebels are led by third-year head coach Marvin Menzies.