Tag: San Jose State

San Jose State looks for second straight win on Saturday against Northern Arizona

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Last week, San Jose State snapped its six-game losing skid with a down-to-the-wire 67-65 win over Bethune Cookman at home. This week, San Jose State is looking for its second straight win as they wrap up their four-game homestand with a game vs. Northern Arizona on Saturday night.

Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming game:

Game #9
Northern Arizona (2-5) vs. San Jose State (2-6)
Friday, Dec. 12, 7:00 pm PT
Event Center (5,000)
San Jose, Calif.

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

All-Access Passport
The Mountain West Network is your all-access passport to Spartan Athletics. For live and recorded video/audio of San Jose State men’s basketball home and Mountain West road contests, the Mountain West Network is your home. Go to Mountain West Network logo at top of the Spartans Athletics home page or go to www.sjsuspartans.com/video.

Back In The Win Column
San Jose State ran away with a 67-65 win over Bethune-Cookman in their last meeting on Dec. 6 to improve to 2-6 on the season. It was the Spartans’ first win over a Division I opponent since Feb. 28, 2018 at Utah State (64-62).

Last Time Out
After struggling to find much offense in the first half vs. Bethune-Cookman, the Spartan offense came to life in the second half as they shot 48% from the field and nailed five triples to come from behind and take down the Wildcats 67-65. Noah Baumann hit 3 of 5 treys in the second half, while Oumar Barry tallied a career-high 13 points and Michael Steadman finished with his third double-double of the season of 15 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has had quite the debut for the Spartans this season. 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, which also ranks him in the top-40 nationally. Steadman has three double-doubles on the season, ranking fourth in the conference and has scored in double figures in 7-of-8 games, including six straight.

Staff Shake Up
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. He also promoted director of basketball operations, Ryan Cooper, to assistant coach.

What About The Lumberjacks?
Northern Arizona enters Saturday’s contest at 2-5 and hopes to end a four-game losing skid. After picking up early season wins over Jacksonville University (97-82) and University of Nebraska at Omaha (76-66), the Lumberjacks have since lost to Hawaii, UC Davis, Santa Clara and Utah Valley. Four Northern Arizona players are averaging double figures in scoring led by Carlos Hines’ 15 ppg. Northern Arizona is led by Jack Murphy in his seventh season.

This will be the seventh overall meeting between the programs. Northern Arizona currently leads the series 4-2 and were the victors in the last installment, which was played on Dec. 15, 2007 at the DeAnza College Gymnasium.

The Baumann Factor
Sophomore Noah Baumann is once again displaying his impressive 3-point shooting abilities this season after finishing in the top 40 in the Mountain West in that department as a freshman. Baumann is currently 15-28 (.536) from the 3-point range, which ranks second in the Mountain West.

Baumann came up huge for the Spartans in their win over Bethune-Cookman. After the team finished 0-for-10 from 3-point range in the first half, Baumann sparked the Spartan offense by draining 3-of-5 second half attempts and finished with a season-high 12 points to help lead San Jose State to a victory.

Barry’s Big Day
Senior Oumar Barry had his best game of the season vs. Bethune-Cookman as he finished with a career-high 13 points and tied his season-high of 7 rebounds.

San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu: Men’s basketball runs away with second win of the season; Football continues meetings with players

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB and @SJSUSpartanFB

On the San Jose State podcast with Ana:

1. Good news for the SJSU men’s basketball team as they ran away with their second win of the season 67-65 over Bethune Cookman last Thursday night. How exciting was the win?

2. SJSU men’s basketball concludes their four-game homestand versus Northern Arizona this Saturday. What are your three keys to a Spartans’ win?

3. SJSU football continued their meetings with high school and college players. Are there any players who stand out and you’d think would be great additions to the team?

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

San Jose State notes: What’s new with Spartan Athletics?

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

This past week has been a very busy week for Spartan Athletics, particularly the San Jose State football and men’s basketball teams.

Let’s start with the football team, who honored those who gave their lives in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Not only that, they also remembered the 1941 Spartans, who were supposed to be SJSU’s first team in three years to enjoy a season-ending trip to Hawaii for a pair of charity games to benefit the Honolulu Police Department. Turns out, Pearl Harbor happened and the team’s plans changed in the blink of an eye.

More than 4,200 SJSU alumni served in World War II, but let’s take a look at the football players who served.

• Don Allen served in the Army’s 395th infantry regiment and in the 1944 Battle of the Bulge.
• Kenneth Bailey was killed in action. A second lieutenant, he was declared missing in action over Bari, Italy in Dec. 1943. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart. His parents, Mr. & Mrs. Wilber Bailey of Palo Alto donated the lead gift for the construction of the Spartan Memorial Chapel on the main campus that opened in 1952.
• John Brown served in the Army Air Corps.
• Stu Carter served in the Navy as a skipper of a PT boat.
• Jack Galvin, the last of the 1941 team to pass away in 2012, joined the Marines and was stationed on the Samoan islands as a cartographer.
• Fred Lindsey served in the Army.
• Aubrey Minter served in the Air Force.
• Center Bob Hamill, a junior college transfer from Glendale College, was named a team co-captain for the 1941 team on Dec. 7, 1940. Hamill achieved the rank of captain in the Army Air Corps. He earned one silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters. He flew in missions in Africa, Italy, Yugoslavia and Greece during World War II and in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
• Bert Robinson reported for duty in 1942 in the Armed Forces Army Air Corps. A B-17 pilot in the 15th Air Force, 301st Bomb Group based in Italy, he completed 50 missions from 1942-1945 and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.
• Ken Stanger served in the Navy.
• Paul Tognetti was drafted into the Army in July 1944.
• SJSU Sports Hall of Fame two-sport athlete Hans Widenhoefer was born in Karlsruhe, Germany in 1922 and raised in San Francisco. A star fullback and wrestler, Wiedenhoefer enlisted in the Marine Corps and was in the 36-day Battle of Iwo Jima Island in the South Pacific–a major victory for the U.S.

All in all, the 1941 Spartans were true American heroes.

SJSU tight end Josh Oliver, who’s an underrated senior prospect who turned a challenging season into a higher NFL Draft grade.

My apologies if you don’t know much about the Spartans as they picked up just one win this past season, but Oliver is a TE that you shouldn’t overlook because he could be a reason why the TE position in the 2019 NFL Draft will be a must-see for the fans and media alike.

After all, he recorded a team-best 56 catches for 709 yards and four touchdowns in his senior year after recording only 42 combined catches in his first three years at SJSU.

So the Spartan coaching staff has held meetings–some of which were home visits–with high school football players. Some of those players already committed to SJSU, while the others still need time to think things over. Hopefully, they’ll commit to SJSU, but then again, those are their decisions, not mine.

Let’s switch gears to the men’s basketball team, who most recently snapped a six-game losing skid with a 67-65 win over the Bethune Cookman Wildcats on Dec. 6, 2018.

After the game, I asked Spartan head coach Jean Prioleau what were his three takeaways from the Spartans’ second win on the season.

Prioleau told me: “I believe we have a mentally tough team. The message that I have to my team is that we’re going to be in a lot of games. I think that what we saw today–to the fanbase, you’re going to see a lot of close games. That’s what I think we are. I don’t know how explosive we are offensively–I think we are. But I think our team plays really hard and I think we’re going to have chances to win a lot of games. I think our guys play with a lot of heart and I think we’re resilient.”

SJSU wraps up their four-game homestand against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Dec. 15 at 7:00 pm PST. So be on the lookout for my preview later this week.

Stay tuned for my SJSU podcast on Wednesday. But, in the meantime, you can catch me on Twitter @AnaKieu.

SJSU returns to the win column with a 67-65 win over B-CU

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Besides the home opener, not much has been going in the San Jose State Spartans’ favor in the men’s basketball world, but they had a game on Thursday night versus the Bethune Cookman Wildcats inside the Event Center and there was no way to avoid it.

Prior to the tipoff, Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau put together a starting lineup of Michael Steadman, Brae Ivey, Oumar Barry, Noah Baumann and Craig LeCesne.

The SJSU cheer team got things started, the crowd grew loud and both teams balled it out on the court. SJSU opened the scoring, thanks to LeCesne’s jumper in the paint just 18 seconds into the first period. Steadman followed up LeCesne’s opening score with a pair of free throws and a jumper in the paint. Barry also made his presence felt with a pair of free throws.

SJSU was doing just fine until B-CU made it a 1-point game and subsequently grabbed a 13-12 lead. Shawntrez Davis threw down the dunk to put the Wildcats on top. The Wildcats proceeded to build upon its lead, but the Spartans stayed in the game with Ivey’s jumper, Anigwe’s layup and Barry’s pair of free throws. The Spartans tied the game 20-20, thanks to Steadman’s jumper.

This matchup turned out to be a back-and-forth battle. Anigwe threw down a fastbreak dunk to put the Spartans back on top. Armani Collins hit a 3-pointer to make it a 1-point game in favor of B-CU. Anigwe tied the game 23-23 and Baumann made a fastbreak layup to help the Spartans to a 25-23 advantage. The Spartans had a 27-23 lead before the Wildcats took over to make it a 1-point game. LeCesne helped the Spartans to a 1-point lead, but it was short-lived as Leon Redd hit a 3 and a jumper to put the Wildcats back on top.

The ardent action winded down and SJSU trailed B-CU 35-32 at halftime.

SJSU picked up the pace to start the second period. Barry threw down a dunk and made a layup in the paint, Steadman made a layup and Baumann hit a fastbreak 3 to put the Spartans on top within the first five minutes of the second. But B-CU refused to back down as Malik Maitland hit a 3 to make it a 1-point game and Pope tied the game 41-41 with a free throw.

It was deja vu all over again as both teams engaged in another back-and-forth battle. Brian Rodriguez-Flores hit a 3 to give the Spartans a 44-41 lead, but Mark Gordon hit not only one, but two 3s to tie the game 44-44 and put the Wildcats up 47-44.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Baumann hit back-to-back 3s to tie the game 58-58 and put the Spartans up 61-58 late in the game. There was a slight scare as the Wildcats hastily responded, but Ivey hit a 3 of his own to put the Spartans back on top 64-63.

The game went down-to-the-wire, but SJSU hung in there. Steadman made a layup to give the Spartans a 1-point lead with 39.4 seconds left. The Spartans played defense, which worked this time as B-CU missed as time expired.

SJSU defeated B-CU 67-65. With the win, SJSU notched its second win on the season and snapped its 6-game losing skid.

SJSU concludes its homestand next Saturday, Dec. 15 vs. Northern Arizona. Tipoff is set for 7:00 pm PST.

San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu: Football receives early Christmas present; Men’s basketball can’t afford to lose any more games

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Photo credit: sjsu.blogs.edu and kansas.com 

On the San Jose State podcast with Ana: 

1. San Jose State football received an early Christmas present of a $2 million gift commitment, thanks to SJSU alumnus John Hopkirk and his wife Anne Murphy. 

2. The San Jose State football coaching staff has been holding meetings with high school football players, mostly from the state of California. 

3. San Jose State men’s basketball enters Thursday’s game vs. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats with six straight losses. How important is this game and what do the Spartans need to do to pick up a win? 

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

San Jose State preps for Bethune Cookman in hopes of getting back into win column

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans’ men basketball team often practices and plays to the catchy song of “Let’s Go” by Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo, but this week gives the song a whole new meaning as San Jose State has to get back in the win column after six straight losses. Like Ne-Yo sings in his verse “Let’s go. Make no excuses now. I’m talking here and now.”

Now, let us tell you what you need to know prior to SJSU’s tipoff vs. Bethune Cookman Thursday night on KLIV 1590 AM with Justin Allegri.

Game No. 8
Bethune Cookman (4-4) vs. San Jose State (1-6)
Thursday, Dec. 6, 7:00 pm PST
Event Center (5,000)
San Jose, Calif.

Pregame with Prioleau
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau will be the subject of the second “Pregame With Prioleau” held Friday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 am PST in the Spartans Men’s Basketball Team Lounge inside YUH on campus. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to hear from Prioleau as he recaps the season thus far and looks forward to what is next.

Cost is $25 and involves a full breakfast. Free street parking is available. To RSVP, email Blake Sasaki at blake.sasaki@sjsu.edu

Live stats
Spartan 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 women’s basketball schedule page to follow the action.

All-access passport
The Mountain West Network is your all-access passport to Spartan Athletics. For live and recorded video/audio of SJSU men’s basketball home and Mountain West road contests, the Mountain West Network is your home. Go to Mountain West Network logo at top of the Spartans Athletics home page or go to www.sjsuspartans.com/video.

Newcomers
SJSU’s top five scorers are all newcomers led by the junior transfer trio of Brae Ivey (13.3), Michael Steadman (13.3) and Craig LeCesne (10.4). Freshmen Seneca Knight (6.1) and Christian Anigwe (6.0) round out the list.

In case you missed it 
SJSU dropped to 1-6 as Indiana State went off for 86 points after shooting 76 percent from the floor in the half and finishing at 64 percent for the game. SJSU found little success on their end of the scoresheet, converting just 30 percent from the field.

Winning the boards
Prioleau preaches the importance of winning the boards, and his team has taken care of business in that department thus far. SJSU currently leads their opponents in rebounding margin at +3.7 and have particularly strong on the offensive boards, ranking second in the conference (12.4 per game).

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman is off to a hot start at his new home at SJSU. He currently ranks 5th in the conference in total rebounds per game (8.9) and is riding a five-game streak of double digit scoring. He was named to the Junkanoo Jam All-Tournament team after averaging 11.7 points and 7 rebounds per game. Steadman has two of the team’s three double-doubles this season.

Second season for Prioleau
Prioleau is entering his second season at the helm of SJSU men’s basketball and is coming off his first full offseason with the program. Prioleau was hired on Aug. 4, 2017, and given just three months to prepare for his debut season. Now with a full offseason under his belt to prepare the team, Prioleau and his staff are excited about the team’s potential.

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. He also promoted director of basketball operations, Ryan Cooper, to assistant coach.

First ever meeting between the teams
Bethune Cookman’s stop at the Event Center is the second of a three-game California road trip. The Wildcats will face St. Mary’s on Tuesday and finish at Cal Poly on Saturday, Dec. 8. Entering the road trip, they are 4-4 with wins over Trinity Baptist (104-44), Johnson University (97-47), Stetson (84-74) and Florida Atlantic (72-70). They’re averaging 75 points per game and have limited opponents to just 38.9 percent shooting from the field.

Thursday’s game will be the first meeting between the programs.

Big Game Baumann
SJSU sophomore Noah Baumann is once again displaying his impressive 3-point shooting abilities this season after finishing in the top-40 in the Mountain West in that department as a freshman. He’s currently 12-of-23 from downtown for a 52.2 percent clip that ranks third in the conference.

San Jose State football is on the right path

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

It’s Monday, and while there aren’t a lot of things going on at San Jose State, I’m still going to give you a rundown of what has happened this past weekend.

First off, we’d like to wish our Jewish followers a Happy Hanukkah. Chag Sameach!

Second, the Spartans managed a comeback at Fresno State against the Bulldogs, but their hopes of tying the Valley Trophy game to force overtime fell short as they lost 31-13 in enemy territory. But, if you take a look at the positives, you can see that Spartans head coach Brent Brennan and his team have made progress on and off the field. Yes, I know my initial prediction of five wins before the start of the 2018 season was far-fetched, but it’s possible for the Spartans to pick up five wins in the 2019 season. The Spartans just have to watch the tape and learn from their mistakes that cost them quite a few wins they could’ve gotten this past season.

Third, the Spartans lost to the visiting Wolf Pack 21-12 on Senior Day on Nov. 17. But that was another productive game for the Spartans, who welcomed a special guest that warm, sunny Saturday afternoon. The kickoff was originally scheduled for 3:00 pm, but it was pushed back to 12:00 pm due to the poor air quality from the Camp Fire in Butte County. However, the loss and the smoke never affected Robert, a 14-year-old Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma patient since June. Robert has been fighting since his diagnosis of the difficult disease this summer. Robert enjoyed the game and got the chance to meet the Spartans players and cheerleaders–both of whom made his day.

Last but not least, Riverside City College quarterback Stoney Waters had a great meeting with San Jose State quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson and offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven. Waters took to Twitter on Monday to let the Twitterverse know that he was blessed to announce that he received an offer from the Spartans. We’ll see what happens next, but Waters would be an excellent addition to the quarterback position at SJSU.

San Jose State, Spartan football receives $2 million gift from SJSU alumnus

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By: Ana Kieu 

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State Spartans football had nothing much to cheer about. Well, that all changed Wednesday, as San Jose State University is pleased to announce that it has received a $2 million gift commitment from alumnus John Hopkirk and his wife Anne Murphy. Their gift will support a critical resource for the Spartan football program–a new state-of-the-art football operations center on the east side of CEFCU Stadium, Home of the Spartans.

“John and Anne have been long-time Spartan supporters and their gift to the football operations center demonstrates their love for San Jose State University,” said athletics director Marie Tuite. “They understand and support the priority of investing in football to provide Coach Brennan and his staff the tools they need to build a championship program.  In addition, John and Anne understand the value and impact their gift will have on changing the lives of the student-athletes we serve. We are so grateful for their generosity.”

The football operations center will include locker rooms, offices, a student-athlete lounge, an auditorium and premium seating options on the 50-yard line. The project will rebuild the stadium’s east side. The gift will add to improvements underway throughout South Campus, including the recently completed soccer, tennis, golf, and softball facilities.

Proud Spartans
John Hopkirk worked his way through school at SJSU while pursuing a degree in business accounting. Hopkirk’s love for Spartan athletics took off after he graduated and began his professional career as a certified public accountant. As an avid supporter of SJSU football and basketball, Hopkirk believes he may be the only fan who has seen every SJSU men’s post-season basketball game since he first enrolled at SJSU in the late 1960s.  

In 1987, John met his wife, Anne Murphy, a University of San Francisco graduate. Anne has embraced John’s passion for SJSU athletics and the couple has traveled all over the country to watch the Spartans play.

“I have been following Spartan football for over 50 years. It has brought me much joy, and we have made many great friends through our common love of Spartan football,” said Hopkirk. “I received a great education from San Jose State, and Anne and I thought we needed to give back to the university to show our appreciation. I hope our gift inspires others to do the same.

“San Jose State must have the facilities in place to attract the best and brightest student-athletes,” Hopkirk continued. “Hopefully our donation will enhance Spartan football’s chance to be a championship program andresult in many more talented student-athletes proudly earning their diplomas from San Jose State University.”

“This critical project will have a major impact on Spartan football and our entire athletics program, as well as the game-day experience for our students and all who attend our games,” stated Paul Lanning, vice president for university advancement and CEO of the Tower Foundation. “Building a modern football operations center that revitalizes CEFCU Stadium is our most urgent fundraising priorities, and we’re thrilled to see two of our greatest fans make such a generous commitment to this project.”

“I am so grateful for John and Anne’s tremendous commitment and generosity to support and build a championship football program at San Jose State,” added head football coach Brent Brennan. “Their gift provides us with a critical recruiting tool, enhances the student-athlete experience and helps SJSU compete in the Mountain West. I can’t thank John and Anne enough for their commitment to the program.”

To learn how you can support the football operations center, please visit www.sjsufootball.com or contact Joshua Thiel, deputy athletics director for Athletics Advancement, at (408) 924-1697 or via email at joshua.thiel@sjsu.edu.

About San Jose State University
The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, SJSU provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study–offered through its eight colleges.

With more than 35,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, SJSU continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce.

The university is immensely proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60% of whom live and work in the Bay Area.

San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu: Bring out the Crying Jordans for the football and men’s basketball teams

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB, @SJSUMBB and complex.com 

On the San Jose State podcast with Ana: 

1. Saturday was just not a good day for San Jose State Athletics as the football team let Fresno State win the Valley Trophy for the second straight year after a 31-13 loss and the men’s basketball team lost to Santa Clara 71-63 for their fifth straight loss. 

2. The Spartans men’s basketball team hosted the Indiana State Sycamores last night inside the Event Center. What are your three takeaways from the game?

3. What are your thoughts on the Mountain West football teams in the playoffs?

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

San Jose State slumps to sixth straight loss, 86-57, to Indiana State

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu 

SAN JOSE, Calif. — After five straight losses, the San Jose State Spartans were hoping and praying for a win over the Indiana State Sycamores on Wednesday night inside the Event Center. 

Yes, home court advantage exists for a reason. The Spartans’ record may not reflect that, but Spartan nation was loud and proud as they sported the blue and gold. In addition, the Spartan marching band and Spartan cheer squad put on excellent shows to entertain us. 

Anyhow, ISU won the tipoff and SJSU’s home game went underway. ISU opened the scoring as Clayton Hughes hit the first 3-pointer of the first half. SJSU hastily responded as Noah Baumann hit a 3 of his own to tie the game. 

But ISU made themselves look like the tough guys. The Sycamores went on a 6-0 run before Oumar Barry made a free throw to help the Spartans pull within 5 at the 16:20 mark of the half. Michael Steadman followed up with a free throw of his own to reduce the Sycamores’ deficit to 4 just 10 seconds later. 

At the second media timeout, SJSU trailed ISU 13-8, which wasn’t too bad, but the Spartan defense could’ve done a better job at slowing down the Sycamore offense in the first 10 minutes of the half.

SJSU showed some more life in the second 10 minutes of the half. Seneca Knight made a layup and Steadman made a jumper in the paint.

However, ISU refused to back down. Allante Holston made a jumper of his own, which also happened to be in the paint. Tyreke Key then made two layups before Christian Anigwe responded with a layup in the paint to re-excite Spartan nation. 

The Spartans’ lack of scoring certainly didn’t look any better late in the half. At the final media timeout, SJSU was on a 4-plus minute scoring drought and trailed ISU 28-14 with 4:29 left in the half. 

SJSU was happy to see Barry’s layup and Brae Ivey’s jumper, but ISU continued to pour in the points from all directions on the court. Ivey made a pair of free throws, but his efforts weren’t enough to help the Spartans, who trailed the Sycamores 44-20 at halftime. Baumann led the Spartans with 6 points, 1 rebound and 1 block. Ivey had 4 points and 1 steal. Barry and Steadman scored 3 points apiece, while Anigwe and Isaiah Nichols scored 2 points apiece. These stats were far from impressive, but Baumann was a bright spot for the Spartans.

The Sycamores remained hot in the second half. Devin Thomas made a pair of free throws and Key scored on two consecutive possessions to record 16 points by the 16-minute mark of the half. After a Devin Thomas score and a foul, ISU went on a 6-0 run to make it a 56-27 game at the 15:47 mark of the half.

Ivey ended the Sycamores’ run with a 3-pointer. Ivey’s 3 also signaled the start of the reduction of the Spartans’ deficit. Then, Zach Chappell happened. Chappell made two pairs of free throws–the first on the fastbreak and the other on the regular. But it was too little, too late, as the Spartans’ deficit increased to 30 at the 10:08 mark of the half.

Anigwe’s free throw and Barry’s pair of free throws brought the Spartans within 29 with 8:46 left in the half. Yep, Barry heated up, but this was still a tall order for the Spartans to complete against a Sycamores team.

SJSU lost to ISU 86-57. Steadman led the Spartans with 13 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block. Ivey had 12 points and 1 rebound. Barry had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Knight added 7 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound and 1 block. 

Notes 
Spartans’ starting lineup: Michael Steadman, Brae Ivey, Oumar Barry, Noah Baumann and Craig LeCesne. 

Up Next 
The Spartans continue their four-game homestand with game No. 3 next Thursday, Dec. 6 versus the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at 7:00 pm PT.