Tag: San Jose State

San Jose State mounts comeback, but falls short against Cal 88-80

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose State Spartans men’s basketball team was looking to pick up at least one win against a Pac-12 opponent this season. Unfortunately didn’t happen as the Spartans comeback bid wasn’t enough and they ultimately fell to the Cal Golden Bears 88-80 at Haas Pavilion on Friday evening.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau went with a starting lineup featuring Brae Ivey, Noah Baumann, Seneca Knight, Michael Steadman and Oumar Barry. Yes, another excellent lineup, but once again, SJSU fell short.

The Spartans won the tip and the game went underway at Haas Pavilion. The score was bad, but fixable early in the first period. SJSU trailed 5-2 at the first media timeout of the night.

The Golden Bears picked up the pace as they hit four of their last five field goals by the 11:19 mark of the period. That allowed Cal to take a 17-9 lead into the second media timeout of the night.

The Spartans, however, were resilient. Oumar Barry buried a 3-pointer at the top of the key, which helped SJSU make it a 1-point game at Cal 17-16. Barry continued pouring in the points along with Ivey, who had 7 points with 7:27 remaining in the period. SJSU trailed by just 2, 19-17.

Baumann changed the game with less than five minutes left in the period. Baumann hit back-to-back 3s to lift the Spartans to a 25-24 lead. SJSU made it a 32-30 lead and carried it with pride to the locker room at halftime.

The Golden Bears were on top 38-32 at the 17:10 mark of the second period. That wasn’t good news for the Spartans, who called a timeout after seeing their first period lead slip away in front of their very eyes.

If that wasn’t already bad enough, Cal went on a massive scoring run to take a 62-53 lead at the 10:24 mark of the period. If anything good came out of this, SJSU continued to dominate on the hardwood as Baumann hit four 3s for his eighth consecutive game hitting at least two 3s, Barry had a career-high 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Steadman collected his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Yet, SJSU was still down by 10 with 6:28 left in the period, despite shooting 52 percent from the field.

Despite the ups and downs, Baumann impressed Spartan Nation as he drained his sixth 3 of the game for a new career-high. As a result, SJSU pulled within 9 for a 74-65 deficit with 5:14 left in the period. Also, Barry recorded a career-high 18 points before he fouled out.

But things slowed down offensively for the Spartans. Well, at least for a little bit. The Golden Bears continued their onslaught from the 3-point line and hit 7-of-12 for a 82-67 advantage with 3:41 left in the period. This led the Spartans to play their hearts out, especially Knight. Knight drained a 3 to pull the Spartans within 6 for a 84-78 deficit with 1:20 left. Then, Knight poured in the points to make it a 4-point game with 35 seconds left.

The Golden Bears added 4 more points to secure a 88-80 victory over the Spartans. Cal improved to 5-6, while SJSU fell to 3-8.

SJSU returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 29 against Saint Mary’s at 5:00 pm PST.

San Jose State names Scott White as new linebackers coach

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By: Ana Kieu

Scott White, a 2018 San Jose State Spartans football staff analyst, accepted a promotion to linebackers coach on Thursday. Brent Brennan, the Spartans football head coach, made the announcement.

White brings 10 seasons of college coaching and noteworthy recruiting experiences to his new position with Spartans. Most notably, he was a UCLA football assistant for eight seasons (2010-17) who worked with head coaches Rick Neuheisel and Jim Mora, Jr.

“We are very excited about Scott White taking over as our new linebackers coach. He is a young coach with a lot of energy and knowledge that comes from his days at UCLA,” says Brennan.

“He’s also an outstanding recruiter. During his time at UCLA, he successfully recruited the best high school and junior college student-athletes and then nurtured, developed and molded them into NFL players over and over again.”

White was a quality control coach for the Bruins’ defense and special teams during the 2010-12 seasons, promoted to linebackers coach in 2013, and promoted again in 2015 to special teams coordinator/linebackers coach for the next three seasons.

He coached some of the nation’s top linebackers at UCLA. Eric Kendricks, currently with the Minnesota Vikings, was the 2014 Butkus Award and Lott Impact Trophy winner. In 2013, current Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack became the first player in Pac-12 Conference history to be named the conference’s “Freshman of the Year” on offense and defense. Anthony Barr, the Vikings’ 2014 first-round draft choice, was a first-team All-America and finalist for the 2013 Butkus Award.

As a special teams coordinator, he oversaw the growth of UCLA kicker Kaimi Fairbairn, the 2015 Lou Groza Collegiate Placekicking Award winner and current placekicker for the Houston Texans.

One of the top college recruiters nationally, he was recognized by 247Sports as its 2016 Pac-12 Recruiter of the Year. That same year, Rivals.com named him to its list of National Top-25 Recruiters.

The 2006 graduate of the University of Washington was a four-year starter on the 2003-06 Huskies teams. He was a team captain and second-team All-Pac 10 Conference linebacker as a senior.

He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Seattle Prep School in 2007. After two seasons, White was named the linebackers coach at Central Washington University for the 2009 season. The Wildcats posted a 12-1 win-loss record, were #1 in scoring defense, #3 in rushing defense and #4 in passing defense among all NCAA Division II schools.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be here, represent San Jose State University, work with this staff and these great kids,” says White, who replaces Bojay Filimoeatu, who was recently named to the Utah State coaching staff.

San Jose State looks to rebound at Cal on Friday night

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By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball is set to take on its second straight Pac-12 opponent this Friday night as they take on the Cal Golden Bears inside Haas Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 7 pm PT. Justin Allegri will have the radio call for KLIV 1590 AM, while Kate Scott and Mike Montgomery will broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.

Game #11
San Jose State (3-7) at Cal (4-6)
Friday, Dec. 21, 7:00 pm PT
Haas Pavilion (11,877)
Berkeley, 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 is looking for their first win over Cal since 1977. They are also looking for their first win over a Pac-12 opponent since defeating Washingtong State 88-76 on Nov. 27, 2016. A win would also be the fourth of the season, tying the team’s 2017-18 total for the whole year.

Heads held high
Despite falling to Stanford 78-73 in their last outing, the Spartans have a lot of momentum on their side after playing one of their best games of the Jean Prioleau era. SJSU shot 45.6 percent for the game and outshot the Cardinal 48.3-45.2 in the second half. The Spartans held the lead for all, but :02 seconds in the first half and regained the lead in the second half until the 12:15 mark. Late turnovers and several missed free throws proved costly down the stretch as the Spartans fell by five.

Michael Steadman and Oumar Barry became the first Spartan duo since Ryan Welage and Brandon Clarke to record a double-double in the same game. Welage and Clark achieved the feat against Washington State on Nov. 27, 2016 in Pullman.

Five players (Steadman, Barry, LeCense, Ivey and Baumann) scored in double-figures. It was the second time SJSU had five players do so this season, and first agaist a D1 opponent.

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 13.5 points per game and ranks fourth in the Mountain West with 9.4 rebounds per game. He also ranks 35th nationally in both total and defensive rebounds per game. Steadman has four double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the conference and has scored in double figures in 9-of-10 games, including seven straight.

Staff shakeup
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.

Another SJSU-Cal meeting
SJSU and Cal have met 22 times with the Golden Bears holding a a 19-3 advantage, including a 19-1 mark in Berkely. The teams last met on Dec. 11, 2011 in an 81-36 blowout loss. The Spartans are looking for their fourth win in the series and first since Dec. 27, 1977 (76-74).

The Golden Bears, led by second year head coach Wyking Jones, will be facing their second straight MW opponent after falling to Fresno State 95-73 on Dec. 19. Cal is 4-6 overall with wins over Hampton (80-66), Santa Clara (78-66), San Diego State (89-83) and Cal Poly (67-66).

Big game Baumann
Sophomore Noah Baumann is once again displaying his impressive 3-point shooting ability this season after finishing in the top 40 in the MW in 3-point percentage as a freshman. He is currently 22-for-40 from 3-point range (.550) and ranks second in the MW in 3-point percentage. He also ranks 10th in the conference with 2.2 3’s per game. Baumann is averaging 15.3 PPG in the last three outings (Bethune-Cookman, NAU, Stanford).

Baumann was a key cog for the Spartans in their two wins over B-CU and NAU. Against B-CU, after the team went 0-10 from 3-point range in the opening half, Baumann drained 3-of-5 attempts in the second half and finished with a then-season-high 12 points to help lead the Spartans to a victory.

Baumann followed up with his best performance as a Spartan in the win over NAU. He scored a career-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 18 in the second half to lead the Spartans to victory. He finished 5-of-6 from 3-point range and made four free throws in the final :37 seconds to close out the game.

Oumar coming on strong
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 now has two in the last two games.

What’s next on the Bay Area road trip?
After playing at Cal, the Spartans will bookend their nonconference slate on Dec. 29 against Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif., completing their road trip against Bay Area opponents.

San Jose State gets a bunch of work done on Early National Signing Day

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By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose State University football team added unprecedented firepower to its offense and passionate playmakers to its defense at the start of the early National Letter of Intent signing period for the 2019 season.

For the first time, SJSU signed a quarterback that passed for more than 100 touchdowns and 10,000 yards in a high school career, inked a running back prospect who rushed for more than 50 touchdowns as a junior and a senior, and added four players that averaged more than 20 yards a catch in their senior seasons. Two of those big play pass catchers are heading to the defensive side, according to Spartans head coach Brent Brennan.

“I was showing our players this week the highlight tapes of these players and they were blown away how good they are. This group of playmakers makes us all excited about what we’re doing for the future,” says Brennan, who is entering his third season as the Spartans’ head coach.

“We’re adding some great young men to our program. Part of our criteria is figuring out if they love football, how hard they work, digging and diving into their character. All the assistant coaches did a great job putting this group together. It’s got a nice mix of young playmakers on offense to balance out some of our skill positions that are currently manned by upperclassmen.”

“And we were able to add some good pieces in terms of the physical part of the game in the offensive line and linebacker.”

13 players signed to become a member of the SJSU program as early as the 2019 spring semester. Nine of them are slated for offensive positions, two are linebacker candidates, and two are ticketed to defensive back roles. Current tight end Derrick Deese, Jr., who redshirted the 2018 season, signed a SJSU scholarship offer.

Quarterback Alec Trujillo completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 11,671 yards and 116 touchdowns and ran for 19 touchdowns in one of the most productive high school careers in California’s Central Section first for Exeter High and then for San Joaquin Memorial of Fresno, which played in the 2018 CIF Division 2-A championship game. He threw 50 touchdown passes in his senior year alone.

“Alec has been an incredible player throughout his career and it’s exciting he’s chosen to be with us. We identified him early in the recruiting process. He throws a fantastic ball. He’s got good feet. He just lit it up throwing for San Joaquin Memorial,” said Brennan.

Running back Adi Anderson from McClymonds High in Oakland is one of two Spartan signees to return home with a 2018 CIF state championship. He averaged 10.8 yards per carry on just over eight carries a game and still rushed for 21 touchdowns as a senior. That was on top of the 31 rushing touchdowns he scored the year before playing for Hayward’s Moreau Catholic High.

Wide receivers Malikhi Miller of El Cerrito High, Isaiah Holiness of Redlands East Valley High and Jamar Simpson of Rancho Verde High, earned reputations as touchdown terrors to their opponents. Miller averaged nearly 29 yards a reception in his last two high school seasons and scored a touchdown about once every third time he caught a pass.

Holiness caught 163 passes for 2,293 yards and 18 touchdowns and was even more dangerous as a return specialist. He averaged 47.4 yards a kickoff return and 30.7 in three varsity seasons. As a senior, Simpson averaged 27.4 yards a catch and scored 13 times on just 36 receptions.

“You’re always looking for guys who can change a game when the ball is in their hands. At almost 11 yards a carry, obviously good things happen when Adi gets the ball. We’re hoping he can be a home run hitter for us. Jamar Simpson has great acceleration, great playmaking ability,” says Brennan.

“You watch Malikhi’s tape. He’s got this great young body and I think he can be that big body wideout who can control a game with. Isaiah Holiness is a slash type of player. He’s dynamic as a runner, receiver, and he’s returned kicks for touchdowns.”

“I’m excited there are so many guys who signed with us that played in (high school) state championship games. They come from winning programs. They know what it takes to win.”

Trujillo, Anderson, defensive back candidate Stan Livingstone, and offensive linemen Jelani Newman from Saguaro High, and first-team California Community College All-America Scott Breslin from Ventura College are incoming Spartans that played in a 2018 state championship game.

Offensive linemen Justin Scrempos from Milpitas High and graduate transfer Quinn Oseland from the University of Minnesota are two more signees to play on state championship teams. Scrempos was a force on the 2017 Vikings that won the CIF Division 4A Championship, averaging 41.1 points a game. Oseland played on two Sacred Heart Griffin High, Class 5A state championship teams.

Cameron Hanson from Southwestern College, a second-team All-Southern Conference selection and two-time bowl game winner, and Jordan Cobbs, credited with 26.0 tackles for loss his last two seasons at San Leandro High, are a pair of linebackers joining the Spartans.

Safety B.J. Johnson, the 2018 Redwood League Co-MVP from Montgomery High, rounds out SJSU’s signees on the first day of the current NIH signing period.

“The recruiting process has really changed with the early signing date. The coaching staff did a great job being organized at the end of the season. We spent a lot of time during the season recruiting, watching film, calling, texting and being on social media with recruits, writing letters, continuing to build relationships because the early signing day has been moved up six weeks,” concluded Brennan, who will have Livingstone and Oseland available to participate in 2019 spring practice set to begin on March 3.

San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu: Thoughts on Early National Signing Day; Men’s basketball loses to Stanford on Tuesday night

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB and sjsuspartans.com

On the San Jose State podcast with Ana:

1. Early National Signing Day began this morning. Have any football players caught your undivided attention?

2. Location appears to important as SJSU has been dubbed the No. 1 underrated school in America in more ways than one on Forbes’ most recent list of underrated colleges and universities.

3. SJSU men’s basketball wrapped up its homestand vs. Northern Arizona last Saturday night.

4. SJSU played Stanford last night and will take on Cal on Friday.

Ana does the San Jose State podcasts each week for SportsRadioService.com

Despite a slow start, Stanford takes care of business vs. San Jose State 78-73

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By Eric Epstein

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Coming off of Saturday’s 78-62 win over Eastern Washington University, the Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball faced off against the San Jose State Spartans in a Bay Area matchup at Maples Pavilion on Tuesday night. The Cardinal ended up besting the Spartans with a score of 78-73.

The Cardinal came out of the gates slow and the Spartans jumped out to a nine-point lead halfway through the first period. However, sophomores Daejon Davis and KZ Okpala helped the Cardinal make up the deficit by halftime. KZ Okpala’s buzzer-beating three point basket sent the Cardinal to the locker room with a one-point lead for their first lead of the game.

Although it was relatively back-and-forth for much of the start of the second half, the Cardinal eventually pulled ahead thanks to their superior three-point shooting and playmaking. Stanford finished the game with 18 team assists and went 13-34 from three, compared to the Spartans’ 10 assists and 4-13 clip from three.

Sophomore Oscar da Silva exploded to hit four straight three-pointers in the second half, adding to his two first-half treys. Although he came into the game shooting on 17% from deep on the year, he set a Stanford freshman record by shooting 55.8% on threes last year. On Tuesday night, he flashed the efficiency that made him so effective during his freshman year. Da Silva finished the night with 23 points on 8-13 shooting (6-11 on threes) as well as 10 rebounds.

KZ Okpala led both teams in scoring with 25 points on 8-15 shooting. Okpala had a lackluster game against Eastern Washington, where he scored only 7 points, but he bounced back by scoring from all over the court, including shooting 3-6 on threes.

In Daejon Davis’ first time coming off the bench in his collegiate career, he proved to be a spark plug for the Cardinal offense with 14 points and 8 assists. He also did not commit a turnover, which he has been prone to over the course of his relatively short Stanford career.

Stanford’s starting backcourt of freshman Bryce Wills and sophomore Isaac White had an extremely disappointing offensive night, as they scored a combined 1 point.

San Jose State’s five starters all scored in the double-digits, but they only got a combined three points from their bench. Spartan Coach Jean Prioleau played shooting guard Noah Baumann the entire game and only rested forward Michael Steadman and point guard Brae Ivey 1 and 4 minutes, respectively.

The Cardinal will travel across the Bay Area to take on the University of San Francisco Dons on Saturday, December 22 at 2:00 pm PST.

Effort isn’t enough as San Jose State falls to Stanford 78-73 at Maples Pavilion

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

Most recently, San Jose State wrapped up its homestand on a high note with two wins in a row. Fast forward to Tuesday evening when SJSU searched for its third straight win against Stanford at Maples Pavilion.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau announced a starting lineup consisting of Brae Ivey, Noah Baumann, Craig LeCesne, Michael Steadman and Oumar Barry. SJSU won the tip and the MWC vs. Pac-12 game went underway at Maples.

At the first media timeout of the game, SJSU held a 13-12 advantage over Stanford. At the second media timeout, SJSU upped its lead to 18-12, thanks to Baumann and Steadman scoring five points apiece.

The Spartans continued to hold onto a 22-13 lead over the Cardinal with 7:42 left in the first period. SJSU shot 45 percent from the floor.

The Spartans’ lead remained in tact, but the Cardinal hit five of their last six shots to make it a one-point game 28-27 with 2:49 left in the period. SJSU held a lead for 19:58 as Stanford hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to snatch a 34-33 lead at the end of the period. Obviously, that was rough for the Spartans, but they did shoot 42.9 percent from the field for their best mark in the first half since shooting 58.3 percent against Central Michigan at the Junkanoo Jam in Bimini, Bahamas.

SJSU got off to a good, if not great, start to open up the second period. Barry drew attention to himself by blocking his third shot on the game and converted it to the other end of the court for his 10th point of the evening. The Spartans were back in front 39-37.

Barry upped his totals to 12 points and eight rebounds for his fourth consecutive game in double figures. The Spartans led 42-40 at the 15:44 mark of the period.

Though, the game reverted back to a one-point game. Stanford hit three triples over four possessions to snatch a 52-51 lead at the 10:56 mark of the period. Still, Ivey and Steadman led the Spartans with 11 points apiece.

And, once again, the game was tied at 54 apiece. Then, Oscar da Silva hit a three to lift the Cardinal up 57-54.

Things began to improve when Steadman laid one in to help the Spartans maintain a one-possession game. Yet, Stanford was up 61-58 with 7:36 left in the period at the under-eight timeout. Stanford then upper their lead to 66-58 for their largest lead of the evening. That large lead occurred as a result of the Spartans turning the ball over five times in a span of 2:43. So in order for the Spartans to get back into the game, they had to take care of the ball.

At the final media timeout of the game, Stanford led 70-61 with 3:45 left in the period. SJSU wasn’t out of it yet, but they had a lot to do to close out the game in a positive manner. SJSU trailed Stanford 72-67 in the final minute of play.

The game went down to the wire as LeCesne knocked down a jumper with 3.21 seconds left in the period. The score decreased to a three-point game with 20.6 seconds left in the period. Moreover, goaltending was the call on the Cardinal. The Spartans gave the Cardinal every bit and piece of effort, but lost 78-73. SJSU fell to 3-7 while Stanford rose to 6-4.

SJSU heads to Cal to take on the Golden Bears Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:00 pm PST on KLIV 1590 AM and the Pac-12 Network.

San Jose State to take on Stanford on Tuesday night

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State will look to stay hot and keep the momentum rolling this week as they take on road games vs. Pac-12 foes Stanford and Cal. First up is the Cardinal on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 7:00 pm. Justin Allegri will have the radio call on KLIV 1590 AM, while Roxy Bernstein and Don MacLean will have the call on the Pac-12 Network.

Game #10
San José State (3-6) at Stanford (5-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 18, 7:00 pm PT
Maples Pavilion (7,233)
Stanford, 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.

Two in a row
With a win over Northern Arizona, SJSU is on a 2-game win streak for the first time since winning the first three games of the 2017-18 season. It is the first win streak over D1 opponents since winning four straight in MW play during the 2016-17 season.

Down, but not out
SJSU picked up win No. 3 of the year against Northern Arizona, but it didn’t come easy. SJSU had to erase a 10-point halftime deficit and took their first lead of the game with 10 minutes left. From there, SJSU held on as the teams went back and forth for the remainder of the contest. SJSU outshot NAU 40.4% to 37.9%.

Noah Baumann and Oumar Barry led the charge in the comeback. Baumann finished with a career-high 23 points, including 18 in the second half, and was 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Barry recorded his first double-double as a Spartan with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

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 13.1 points per game and ranks fourth in the MW with 9.2 rebounds per game. He also ranks in the top 40 nationally in the rebounding department. Steadman has three double-doubles on the season, ranking fourth in the conference and has scored in double figures in 8-of-9 games, including six straight.

Staff shakeup
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.

Familiar foe
Tuesday’s matchup will be 52nd installment in the Stanford-SJSU series, but the first meeting since 2006. The Cardinal leads the all-time series 38-13 and is 28-4 in games played in Stanford. The Spartans’ last win in the series came on Dec. 3, 1992 in San Jose.

The Cardinal, led by third year coach Jerod Haase, enters Tuesday’s game with a 5-4 record. Three of their four losses have come at the hands of ranked teams, including a 90-84 loss in overtime to No. 2 Kansas in Lawrence on Dec. 1. KZ Okpala leads the team at 15.9 ppg and 6.0 rpg.

Big game Baumann
Sophomore Noah Baumann is once again displaying his impressive 3-point shooting ability this season after finishing in the top-40 in the MW in 3 point percentage as a freshman. He is currently 20-for-34 from 3-point range (.588).

Baumann has come up huge for the Spartans in their last two games. In their win over Bethune-Cookman, after the team went 0-10 from 3-point range in the opening half, Baumann drained 3-of-5 attempts in the second half and finished with a then-season-high 12 points to help lead SJSU to victory.

Baumann followed up with his best performance as a Spartan in the win over NAU. He scored a career-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 18 in the second half to lead the Spartans to victory. He finished 5-of-6 from 3-point range and made four free throws in the final 37 seconds to close out the game.

Oumar plays his best basketball 
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 for 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 win.

Barry entered the Bethune-Cookman game averaging just 5.7 points per game, but after averaging 15 points in the last two outings, he has increased his production to 7.8 ppg.

Bay Area road trip
The Spartans’ stop in Stanford is the first of three-straight road games against in-state foes. SJSU will make a quick turnaround to face Cal in Berkeley on Friday, Dec. 21, and will bookend their non-conference slate on Dec. 29 against Saint Mary’s in Moraga.

San Jose State Athletics on a better path

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Photo credit: @will_brocchini

By: Ana Kieu

You probably saw how awful San Jose State football and men’s basketball has looked in the past year, but it looks like both programs are on a better path.

When it comes to football, the Spartans’ football coaching staff has been fairly busy in holding meetings and trying to attract high school and college football players to commit to San Jose State. Most recently, B.J. Johnson–a Montgomery High School athlete from Santa Rosa, Calif.–committed to SJSU just two days after officially visiting the school. Moreover, Chad Earle–a East Los Angeles College cornerback from Monterey Park, Calif.–received an offer from SJSU.

When it comes to men’s basketball, the Spartans put together two wins in a row. The first win came on Dec. 6 when SJSU defeated Bethune Cookman 67-65 inside the Event Center. The second win came on Dec. 15 when SJSU ran away with a 79-74 win over Northern Arizona inside the Event Center. This was a great way for the Spartans to wrap up their four-game homestand in San Jose, Calif.

After the SJSU-NAU game, Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau said: “I don’t think they’ll be any pressure. I think our guys will be really excited. We played a lot of games so far where we have a quick turnaround. Tomorrow, we’re going to practice as well as Monday, and we’re going to play on Tuesday. Then, we play again on Friday. So I don’t think the guys are going to be too concerned about pressure at all.”

Prioleau added: “We’ve been in a lot of close games where we’ve been pressured enough. So I think our guys will be ready to play and they’ll be excited to play.”

Now, the Spartans may face bigger challenges as their upcoming Pac-12 opponents are Stanford and Cal on Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, respectively. Both games will be featured on the Pac-12 Network. Since I asked Prioleau about pressure on Saturday, I’m well-aware that Prioleau hasn’t really expressed nervousness about the upcoming three-game road trip that ends at St. Mary’s on Dec. 29, but they’re other Bay Area teams and they’re likely not going to play nice, so the Spartans have to hold great, high-quality practices on the practice court the next two weeks.

San Jose State holds off Northern Arizona for second straight win, 79-74

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State had a good feeling about last Thursday’s 67-65 win over Bethune Cookman and looked to make it two wins in a row versus Northern Arizona inside the Event Center to wrap up its four-game homestand. Saturday marked the first meeting between the Spartans and Lumberjacks since 2007.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau went with a starting lineup of Brae Ivey, Oumar Barry, Craig LeCesne, Brian Rodriguez-Flores and Ashtin Chastain. Moreover, the Spartans Athletic Fund launched the Hardwood Lounge Saturday for those who want to enjoy in-game hospitality at the All-American gift level at select upcoming games. You can check out bit.ly/SAF-benefits for more information.

The Spartans won the tip and the game went underway. The Lumberjacks opened up the scoring on two 3-pointers–one by Carlos Hines just 42 seconds into the first period and the other by Cameron Shelton at the 18:20 mark. SJSU, however, responded with Rodriguez-Flores’ pair of free throws and LeCesne’s lone layup to pull within two in a span of 32 seconds. Yet, NAU countered with a 7-0 run to make it a 13-4 game at 15:49.

The Lumberjacks clawed their way back into the game, but the Spartans went on a 8-0 run of their own. Barry made two pairs of free throws, while Baumann hit a jumper and a fastbreak 3. NAU’s Luke Avdalovic hit a 3 to halt SJSU’s scoring streak at 11:01.

Both teams exchanged leads in the last 10 minutes or so, but SJSU trailed NAU 40-30 at halftime. The Lumberjacks had the upper hand in the first. Bernie Andre led the Lumberjacks with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Luke Avdalovic had 12 points and 2 rebounds.

SJSU got off to a strong start to open the second period. Steadman channeled his inner steadiness by making two jumpers in 50 seconds. Barry made a layup to cut the Spartans’ deficit to four at 17:44.

Yet, NAU wasn’t ready to back down. Davon Bolton made a pair of fastbreak free throws and Isaiah Thomas made a pair of free throws. Both players helped the Lumberjacks maintain a 47-40 lead at 13:39. The Spartans cut the Lumberjacks’ lead to four just 12 seconds later on Baumann’s 3. The Spartans then made it a one-point game as Ivey made three free throws in a row.

Baumann’s game reappeared, and this time, a paint jumper and 3 helped put the Spartans back on top 51-50 with 9:55 left in the second. Of course, SJSU jumped and high-fived each other, while Spartan Nation cheered so loud that you could hear them from outside the building.

Barry and Ivey poured in the points to give the Spartans a 64-60 lead with 4:30 left. Avdalovic, however, hit a 3 to make it a one-point game, which was something SJSU had hoped to avoid.

SJSU had a 67-65 lead, but it was short-lived. Shelton made a pair of free throws to tie the game at 67 apiece. LeCesne made a pair of free throws of his own, but NAU tied the game at 69 apiece for the second lead in less than 20 seconds. The chants for defense grew louder and they apparently worked on the Spartans, who benefited from Barry’s paint layup and Steadman’s lone free throw. It was 72-69 in favor of the Spartans with 55 seconds left.

Baumann made a pair of free throws to give SJSU a five-point advantage 74-69 with 37 seconds left. Turns out, NAU had plans of their own as Avdalovic quickly responded with a pair of free throws of his own to cut the Lumberjacks’ deficit to three.

The Spartans had another five-point lead, thanks to Ivey’s pair of fastbreak free throws. But, like some of the previous leads, this too was short-lived. Andre made a lone fastbreak free throw and a layup to cut the Lumberjacks’ deficit to two with four seconds left.

Baumann attempted to fend off a couple of NAU defenders, but an official stopped the clock. The Spartans received an opportunity and made the most of it. Baumann made a pair of fastbreak free throws for a 78-74 lead, Ivey followed up a lone free throw and SJSU held off NAU for a 79-74 win.

Baumann led the Spartans with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Barry recorded a double-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 1 assist. Ivey had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists.

SJSU heads to Maples Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 18 to take on Stanford at 7:00 pm PST on the Pac-12 Network.