San Jose State resumed conference play in New Mexico
All San Jose State wanted was to snap a three-game losing streak, but came up short, 80-47
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San Jose State started 2018 off on the wrong foot, so did they manage to turn things around Saturday night?
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The San Jose State Spartans have been victims of bad luck as of late. They kicked off a two-game road trip with a Mountain West game against the New Mexico Lobos at the Pit on Saturday.
Like the Spartans, the Lobos also entered the game with a two-game losing streak, but New Mexico was a slightly better team with a 6-10 (1-2 MW) record as opposed to San Jose State’s mediocre 3-11 (0-3 MW) record.
The Spartans got off to an early start as Ashtin Chastain flipped in an easy layup, but UNM went on a 6-0 run and then an 11-0 run to stifle SJSU’s offense.
The Spartans responded to the Lobos’ pressure with a 7-0 run of their own. Nai Carlisle started things off with a jumper, Jaycee Hillsman made a pair of free throws and Ryan Welage hit a three-pointer. SJSU’s run was halted by a jumper from Joe Furstinger. Isaiah Nichols then made a dunk to prevent UNM from going on a potential run.
But the Spartans’ efforts weren’t enough to stop the Lobos in the first half. Nichols threw down a dunk and Welage hit a jumper. However, Jachai Simmons hit a three and UNM went on a brief 4-0 run for a 10-point lead.
Hillsman hit a pair of free throws to pull the Spartans within eight (27-19), but Anthony Mathis’ three put the Lobos up by 11 (30-19) before the media timeout.
The Lobos continued pouring in the points as Vladimir Pinchuk made a three throw and Mathis followed up with a pair of free throws.
Oumar Barry made a free throw and Noah Baumann hit a three, but the Spartans’ offense remained sluggish as the Lobos stayed dominant on the court.
The Spartans were down by 16 (39-23) at the half.
The Lobos got a head start early in the second half. Makuach Maluach cruised in for layup and Keith Fisher responded with a layup of his own. Antino Jackson then hit a three to give UNM their largest lead of the game, 44-25, at 18:21.
The Lobos continued their 9-0 run until Welage hit a three, but the Spartans were down by 22 (50-28). UNM didn’t make things any easier though. Dane Kuiper hit a three to extend the Lobos’ lead to 53-28 at the 13:41 mark.
It was the Lobos’ show tonight even though the Spartans added some shots into the scoreboard, thanks to Welage, Carlisle, Fisher and Caleb Simmons. UNM held a 31-point lead, 70-39, with 5:24 left in regulation.
Chastain made a free throw and Welage added a layup, but the Lobos made it rain with threes from Mathis and Chris McNeal to keep the game out of reach for the Spartans.
Hillsman made a couple of free throws and Welage finished with a tip-in, but the Spartans were dismantled by the Lobos, who won in blowout fashion by a score of 80-47.
SJSU dropped to 3-12 (0-4 MW) while UNM improved to 7-10 (2-2 MW).
Up Next:
The Spartans return to action on Tuesday, January 9 against the San Diego State Aztecs at 8 pm PT.