Tag: San Jose State

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

Spartans visit conference leader No. 24 Nevada
San Jose State travels to Reno this Wednesday to face the Mountain West-leading No. 24 Nevada Wolf Pack. The game will be broadcasted live on ESPN3 and can be heard on KLIV 1590 AM with Justin Allegri.

Game #26
SJSU (3-22, 0-14 MW) at Nevada (23-5, 12-2 MW)
Wednesday, February 21, 2018, 7:00 pm PT
Lawlor Events Center (11,536)
Reno, Nevada

TV: ESPN3
Radio: KLIV 1590 AM

SJSU-Nevada history
Nevada defeated SJSU earlier this season, 71-54, on January 17 in San Jose, California. It was the sixth straight loss for SJSU in the series, which Nevada leads 58-50. The Wolf Pack have won 18 of the last 19 and 26 of the last 28 meetings, dating back to 2003. SJSU’s last win over Nevada came on February 18, 2014 in Reno, when Jalen James hit the game-winning shot with 1.8 seconds remaining.

SJSU’s last meeting with Nevada
SJSU played one of its best halves of the season defensively, holding the Wolf Pack to 26.7% shooting and took a 26-24 lead into halftime. It was a two-possession game with under five minutes to play in the second half, but Nevada’s Caleb Martin, who had a game-high 24 points, pulled away for the 71-54 victory. SJSU’s leading scorer for the season Ryan Welage was limited to just nine points, one of only two games this season without a double-figure scoring game.

Fisher III extends career-scoring high again
Redshirt freshman Keith Fisher III extended his career-scoring high twice in one week with a 23-point performance at Colorado State on February 10, followed by 26 points on Saturday at Wyoming. Fisher has finished eight of the last 10 games in double-figure scoring. Over the last five games he is averaging 16.4 points and 8.6 rebounds while hitting 51.6% of his shots.

Hillsman returns to starting lineup vs. Wyoming
Jaycee Hillsman not only returned to the starting lineup for the first time since December 5, but he also played a career-high 39 minutes on Saturday at Wyoming. He finished the game with a double-double, including 15 points and 10 rebounds. The junior from Champaign, Illinois, is averaging 9.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 23.9 minutes during conference play.

Team defense holds Spartans back
Just a few weeks ago, the Spartans had a top-five field goal percentage defense in the Mountain West of 42.5%. However, in the last five games, Spartan opponents have been hitting 47.2% of their field goal attempts and averaging 80.6 points per game. It will be a tough task for the Spartans to get back on track defensively against Nevada, which ranks second in the MW, averaging 83.1 points per game. Although, the Spartans did hold the Wolf Pack to just 40.4% shooting in the first meeting this season, and 26.7% in the first half.

Welage continues to climb career ranks
With 19 points last game against Wyoming, Ryan Welage climbed up into seventh place on SJSU’s all-time scoring list, passing Coby Dietrick. Welage comes into Wednesday’s game with 1,178 career points, looking up at Chris McNealy in sixth place with 1,236 career-points. Welage is currently second all-time at SJSU with 149 made 3-pointers, and he’s right on the heels of the program leader, Tim Pierce, who finished his career with 153.

SJSU all-time scoring leaders
1,767 – Ricky Berry (84 games)
1,750 – Adrian Oliver (80 games)
1,504 – Stu Inman (123 games)
1,432 – Wally Rank (102 games)
1,272 – Justin Graham (119 games)
1,236 – Chris McNealy (81 games)
1,178 – Ryan Welage (86 games)
1,173 – Coby Dietrick (72 games)
1,139 – Terry Cannon (97 games)
1,136 – Johnnie Skinner (73 games)

SJSU career three-point field goals made leaders
153 – Tim Pierce (86 games)
149 – Ryan Welage (86 games)
138 – Adrian Oliver (80 games)
134 – Rashad Muhammad (58 games)
125 – Robert Owens (61 games)

Spartans to honor Welage Saturday night
Spartan fans should get to their seats just moments before tipoff on Saturday night against the San Diego State Aztecs as the Spartans’ men’s basketball program will honor Ryan Welage for joining the 1,000 point club this season. Welage is only the 15th player in program history (108th season) to reach 1,000 career points, and he’ll be honored for it minutes before the 7 pm PT tipoff on Saturday.

Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

It wasn’t a sellout crowd at Arena-Auditorium, but it was a loud crowd. The San Jose State Spartans were still seeking their first conference win of the season and they hoped to defeat the Wyoming Cowboys in any way possible Saturday afternoon.

Both teams rose to the occasion as soon as the ball went up in the air following the scheduled 2 pm MT tipoff. Keith Fisher III drained the foul-line jumper to cap off a 9-0 Spartans run before the Cowboys took a timeout. The Spartans were up 11-5 at the 16:44 mark of the first half.

Both teams also exchanged a couple of ties and leads. Ryan Welage threw down a dunk to tie the game at 17 apiece midway through the first. The Cowboys then went on a 16-2 run, but Jalen James hit a jumper to hush the home team. However, Wyoming continued to lead 38-31 with 3:48 left in the first.

The Spartans trailed the Cowboys 45-37 at the end of the first. Jaycee Hillsman scored 11 points and five rebounds. Fisher III had 10 points and four rebounds.

Despite the fact that Fisher III led all Spartans with 22 points, the Cowboys led by 12 points, 73-61, with 7:20 left in the second half.

The Spartans pulled within nine with 2:38 left in the second. Then, the Cowboys pushed forward for an 11-point lead with less than two minutes left. Wyoming was terrific from beyond the arc, and that was a reason why San Jose State remained flat.

The Spartans lost to the Cowboys 89-75 in Wyoming. Fisher III finished with a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds. Hillsman scored 15 points and 10 rebounds. Welage had 19 points.

Notes
Spartans’ starting lineup: Jalen James, Jaycee Hillsman, Keith Fisher III, Ryan Welage and Oumar Barry.

Cowboys’ starting lineup: Justin James, Hunter Maldonado, Cody Kelley, Hayden Dalton and Alan Herndon.

Up Next
The Spartans return to action next Wednesday, February 21 as they take on the Nevada Wolf Pack at 7 pm PT on ESPN3.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

Spartans head up to Wyoming Saturday
The San Jose State Spartans continues Mountain West play on Saturday, February 17, on the road against the Wyoming Cowboys. Tipoff on the Mountain West Network is set for 2:00 pm MT. Fans can watch the broadcast online using the link on the men’s basketball schedule page. To listen to the Spartans’ broadcast with Justin Allegri’s play-by-play call, tune your radio to KLIV 1590 AM.

Game #25
San Jose State (3-21, 0-13 MW) at Wyoming (16-10, 7-6 MW)
Saturday, February 17, 2018, 2:00 pm MT
Arena-Auditorium (11,612)
Laramie, Wyo.

TV: Mountain West Network
Radio: KLIV 1590 AM

SJSU’s last meeting with Wyoming
The Spartans and Cowboys met inside the Event Center on Jan. 27. Despite Ryan Welage’s career-high 37 points, it was Wyoming that prevailed in overtime with a 80-76 win. It was tied with 2:12 remaining in the overtime period, but Cowboys’ Justin James scored the final six points of the game.

SJSU-Wyoming History
Wyoming controls the all-time series 11-2 after beating SJSU earlier this season. The Spartans’ last win in the series came on Jan. 13, 2016., inside the Event Center. That win for SJSU was the first on its home floor against a MW opponent since joining the league in 2013-14. Since then, the Cowboys have won four straight games, including last year’s regular season finale in Laramie 74-62. SJSU has never won at 7,220 feet in the air.

Fisher III continues hot streak
Spartan freshman Keith Fisher III notched his second double-double of the season, including 17 points and 13 rebounds the other night against the Fresno State Bulldogs. He has finished seven of the last nine games in double-figure scoring. In the last five games, Fisher is averaging 14.2 points and 8.2 rebounds. Helping the average is a career-best 23-point performance on the road at Colorado State on Feb. 10.

Welage continues to climb career ranks
With 15 points last game against Fresno State, Ryan Welage remains eighth on SJSU’s all-time scoring list with 1,159 points. Coby Dietrick, who played more than a decade of ABA and NBA basketball, sits one step ahead of Welage in seventh place with 1,173 points. Welage is currently second all-time at SJSU with 148 made 3-pointers. He’s right on the heels of the program leader Tim Pierce who finished his career with 153.

SJSU ALL-TIME SCORING LEADERS

Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans have only won three games under the new regime of head coach Jean Prioleau, and then they carried out a scheduled meeting on Valentine’s Day with the rival Fresno State Bulldogs at the Event Center Wednesday night.

Prior to the rivalry matchup, the Spartans were the bottom feeders of the Mountain West with a 3-12 (0-12 MW) record, while the Bulldogs rested comfortably with a 17-8 (7-5 MW) record.

The Spartans fell behind early, trailing the Bulldogs 11-3 in the first four-plus minutes of the first half. Ryan Welage ended the Spartans’ scoreless drought with a jumper at the 15:44 mark of the first.

Just when you thought the Spartans were done, Welage stole the show with a 3-pointer and a jumper. Isaiah Nichols hit a 3 of his own to tie the game at 11 apiece at the 13:31 mark. Oumar Barry made a layup to put the Spartans up 13-11 just 63 seconds later.

The Bulldogs tied the game at 13 apiece on New Williams’ jumper at the 12:19 mark, but Jalen James and Keith Fisher quickly responded for the Spartans, who took a 18-13 lead at the 11:23 mark.

The Spartan defense falted for a little bit. Both the Spartans and Bulldogs exchanged shots and leads up until SJSU went on a 6-0 run, thanks to Fisher, James and Jaycee Hillsman. Bulldogs’ Terrell Carter ended the Spartans’ run with a layup with 6:34 left in the first.

The Spartans held a comfortable 10-point lead after Nai Carlisle hit a 3 with 6:13 left.

The Bulldogs started getting feisty though. Sam Bittner hit not only one, but two 3s. Deshon Taylor followed with a jumper and Terrell Carter II added a layup to tie the game at 29 apiece with 3:08 left.

The Bulldogs were back on top with a 30-29 lead as Carter II made one of two free throws. Bittner made a layup to put the Bulldogs ahead 32-29 just 42 seconds later.

The Spartans made it a one-point game when James made a layup with 1:46 left. Then, there was a 30-second timeout, which sort of helped the Spartans since a Bulldog forward spent nearly 30 seconds finding an open Bulldog player.

It was a close game as the Spartans trailed the Bulldogs by just one point, 32-31, at the half. SJSU’s halftime stats: 11-26 FG-FGA (total), 5-9 FG-FGA (3-ptr), 4-8 FT-FTA, 3 offensive rebounds, 16 defensive rebounds, 19 total rebounds, 9 PF, 31 TP, 5 A, 6 TO, 2 Blks, 2 Stls, 100 Mins.

The second half opened up in an up and down manner as both teams exchanged shots with each other. Jaron Hopkins got the Bulldogs rolling with a dunk and a layup, Welage made a layup of his own, Bryson Williams made a layup and one of two free throws, Welage hit a 3 and then Fresno State went on a 7-0 run before James was assessed a flagrant foul.

The Bulldogs poured in the points, mainly off shots made by Taylor, Ray Bowles and Jaron Hopkins, taking a 58-39 lead over the Spartans at the 11-minute mark of the second. The Spartans only had eight second half points during that time span.

The Spartans continued to suffer from scoring droughts, which proved that the close score in the first half was pretty much just a fluke.

The Spartans lost to the Bulldogs 77-57 at home. SJSU’s final stats: 22-52 FG-FGA (total), 7-18 FG-FGA (3-ptr), 6-13 FT-FTA, 7 offensive rebounds, 26 defensive rebounds, 33 total rebounds, 16 PF. 57 TP, 12 A, 13 TO, 2 Blks, 5 Stls.

Notes 
Spartans’ starting lineup: Keith Fisher, Noah Baumann, Jalen James, Ryan Welage and Ashtin Chastain.

Bulldogs’ starting lineup: Jaron Hopkins, Bryson Williams, Sam Bittner, Deshon Taylor and Ray Bowles.

Up Next
The Spartans head out for a critical road trip, starting with the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday, February 17 at 1:00 pm PT.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State holds only meeting with Fresno State at home on Wednesday
The San Jose Spartans will return to the Event Center Wednesday night to take on the rival Fresno State Bulldogs in a 7:00 pm PT tipoff. Tickets for the game are available at the Spartan Ticket Office, which can be reached at (408) 924-7589. The game will be broadcasted live on the Mountain West Network and on KLIV 1590 AM radio with Justin Allegri’s play-by-play. The 171st meeting between the Spartans and Bulldogs on Wednesday will be their only meeting of this season.

Game #24
San Jose State (3-20, 0-12 MW) vs. Fresno State (17-8, 7-5 MW)
Wednesday, February 14, 2018, 7:00 pm PT
The Event Center (5,000)
San Jose, California

Tickets: Spartan Ticket Office (408) 924-7589
TV: Mountain West Network
Radio: KLIV 1590 AM and KSJS 90.5 FM

Historical Facts
According to SJSU’s records, Wednesday will be the 171st meeting between the Spartans and the Bulldogs, with Fresno State owning an 89-81 advantage. The Spartans have taken two of the last three from the Bulldogs with both wins coming inside the Event Center. While the Spartans won last year’s first meeting, 69-62, it was Fresno State with a commanding 77-59 win in Fresno, California, on February 15.

Last meeting inside the Event Center
Jalen James hit a baseline jumper with 22.1 seconds left in regulation to put the Spartans ahead of the Bulldogs, 64-62. Fresno State inbounded the ball, came down the floor, and James was there again to take a charge on Fresno State guard Jaron Hopkins. Bulldogs head coach Rodney Terry was tossed after showing his displeasure with the call, giving SJSU a chance to put the game away from the free throw line, which it did. SJSU came away with the 69-62 victory, making it back-to-back wins against Fresno State for the first time since January 2009.

Keith Fisher III had his best game of the season last Saturday
Spartan freshman Keith Fisher III had his best game of the season last Saturday at Colorado State with 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists. He was efficient, hitting 7-of-10 field goals, and sinking 9-of-12 from the free throw line. While it was Keith’s best game, a performance like that has been becoming more regular for him. He’s averaging 14.0 points and 6.8 rebounds over the last five games while shooting 51.9% from the field. Fisher’s ability to knock down the outside jumper and make moves off the dribble has opened up more opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Spartan offense is shaping up
SJSU is shooting 43.8% from the field and averaging 66.5 points per game for the 2017-18 season. In the last five games though, those number have jumped up to 47.8% shooting and 74.2 points per game. The development of Keith Fisher III’s game together with close-range scoring from big men Oumar Barry and Ashtin Chastain has resulted in the team’s rise in shooting efficiency. Those three have combined to shoot 57.7% (56-97) during the last five games.

Defense tumbles down
While SJSU’s offense is trending upward, their defense is headed in a completely opposite direction. The Spartans are holding opponents to 43.7% shooting while allowing 75.0 points per game for the season. In the last five games, SJSU opponents are shooting 47.9% and averaging 84.2 points per game.

Things have changed at Colorado State
SJSU trailed 60-59 at the 8:47 mark in the second half last Saturday at Colorado State. Then in a matter of 42 seconds, the Spartans found itself down by 10 points, and the Rams ran away with a 90-79 win on their home floor. The 42-second span started with an offensive foul called on Jaycee Hillsman after a defensive rebound under the Rams’ basket. The Rams hit a pair of 3-pointers and converted a standard 3-point play to break the game open. All three scoring plays for CSU were preceded by a Spartan turnover.

Welage continues to surge career ranks
With 16 points in the last game against Colorado State, Ryan Welage surged up to eighth on SJSU’s all-time scoring list with 1,144 points. Coby Dietrick, who played more than a decade of ABA and NBA basketball, sits ahead of Welage in seventh place with 1,173 points. Welage is currently second all-time at SJSU with 146 made 3-pointers, trailing only Tim Pierce, who finished his Spartan career with 153.

SJSU ALL-TIME SCORING LEADERS
1,767 – Ricky Berry (84 games)
1,750 – Adrian Oliver (80 games)
1,504 – Stu Inman (123 games)
1,432 – Wally Rank (102 games)
1,272 – Justin Graham (119 games)
1,236 – Chris McNealy (81 games)
1,173 – Coby Dietrick (72 games)
1,144 – Ryan Welage (84 games)
1,139 – Terry Cannon (97 games)
1,136 – Johnnie Skinner (73 games)
1,125 – Ken Mickey (82 games)
1,095 – Sid Williams (111 games)
1,050 – S.T. Saffold (72 games)
1,050 – Olivier Saint-Jean (51 games)
1,049 – Carroll Williams (75 games)

Turnovers put Spartans’ first Mountain West win on hold
SJSU shot better than New Mexico — 47.1% to 41.4% — outrebounded the Lobos, 43-19, and made more free throws than the Lobos. However a season-high 25 turnovers led to 30 UNM points and SJSU lost 71-68 on its home floor. It was the 11th game with 20 or more turnovers this season for SJSU, and the team’s 17.4 turnovers per game are the most in NCAA Division I.

Jaycee Hillsman made the most out of his opportunities
SJSU’s Jaycee Hillsman has had the ball in his hands a bit more than usual in the last couple of games and he made the most of his opportunity against New Mexico with career-highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds. It was the second double-double of his career, but the first against a Division I opponent. Hillsman played 30 minutes as the team’s so-called sixth-man, which are the most since he played 32 minutes against San Diego in SJSU’s second game of the season on November 12.

Notes
SJSU’s home game on February 24 against San Diego State will be broadcasted live on ESPN3. Tipoff against the Aztecs will remain at 7:00 pm PT. However, fans will want to get to the arena early for a pre-game recognition of Ryan Welage reaching the 1,000-point plateau.