Nov. 30, 2014
Final Stats | USATSI Photo Gallery
Anaheim, Calif. --- San José State men's basketball saw Princeton make its first 10 shots out of the halftime locker room, and Jordan Baker's season-high 23 points were not enough for the Spartans in a 69-54 loss to the Tigers on the final day of the Wooden Legacy at the Honda Center.
"We had to do a better job of contesting, and we knew that," said Spartans' head coach Dave Wojcik. "We didn't start the game or the second half well. It's something we have to work on as individuals, as a group, and as a coaching staff.
The Tigers (2-5) buried their first five shots of the game, and their first 10 shots out of the halftime locker room. San José State (1-6) meanwhile, began the contest 1-for-8 from the floor.
The Spartans fought back to make it a one-point game, 20-19, on Isaac Thornton's three with 6:51 left in the first half. However, that would be San José State's last basket of the period.
Baker scored 18 in the second half, helping the Spartans weather Princeton's hot shooting. At one point, he hit three consecutive shots including two of his career-high four three pointers.
"It helped my confidence individually," Baker said, "But it was bigger for the team. They needed to see that out of me. I just felt like we were having some difficulty scoring the ball, and I had the hot hand at the time. I just tried to either take a good shot or get one for one of my teammates."
"He was efficient tonight," Wojcik said of Baker. "That's been the main point of emphasis with him. He did his part tonight. We just didn't get some other guys to step up like they should have."
Jaleel Williams was the second-leading scorer for SJSU in the game with eight points. Spencer Weisz led Princeton with 16 points.
With the loss, San José State finished the Wooden Legacy 0-3. Baker led the team in scoring during the event at 12 points per game. Frank Rogers, Jaleel Williams and Darryl Gaynor II all averaged eight points.
"The tournament was awesome," Wojcik said. "It's going to pay off for us. I don't know where. Maybe in five or 10 games, or maybe next year. "This was a learning process for our young guys, and you have to keep the big picture in mind and keep going back to work."
San José State plays again Wednesday, December 3, at 7:00 p.m. when the team travels to UC Davis.
Newspaper Box Score
Princeton vs San Jose State
11/30/14 4:30 PM at Honda Center (Anaheim, Calif.)
PRINCETON 69, SAN JOSE STATE 54
PRINCETON (2-5)
Weisz, Spencer 6-8 0-0 16; Brase, Hans 5-9 3-5 15; Caruso, Henry 3-5 2-4 8;
Miller, Pete 4-6 0-0 8; Bell, Amir 3-5 1-2 7; Wilson, Clay 3-4 0-0 7; Cook,
Steven 2-7 1-2 6; Brennan, Alec 0-2 2-4 2; Rayner, Khyan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals
26-46 9-17 69.
SAN JOSE STATE (1-6)
Baker, Jordan 9-13 1-1 23; Williams, Jaleel 3-7 0-0 8; Rogers, Frank 2-11
2-4 7; James, Jalen 2-3 2-3 7; Thornton, Isaac 2-3 0-0 5; Bahner, Leon 0-0
2-2 2; Mahoney, Danny 1-4 0-0 2; Singer, Ryan 0-2 0-0 0; Muhammad, Rashad
0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-43 7-10 54.
Princeton..................... 30 39 - 69
San Jose State................ 19 35 - 54
3-point goals--Princeton 8-17 (Weisz, Spencer 4-4; Brase, Hans 2-5; Cook,
Steven 1-4; Wilson, Clay 1-2; Bell, Amir 0-1; Caruso, Henry 0-1), San Jose
State 9-22 (Baker, Jordan 4-5; Williams, Jaleel 2-4; Thornton, Isaac 1-2;
James, Jalen 1-2; Rogers, Frank 1-5; Singer, Ryan 0-1; Mahoney, Danny 0-3).
Fouled out--Princeton-None, San Jose State-None. Rebounds--Princeton 28
(Brase, Hans 5; Caruso, Henry 5), San Jose State 23 (Baker, Jordan 6).
Assists--Princeton 20 (Brase, Hans 6), San Jose State 9 (Baker, Jordan 4).
Total fouls--Princeton 15, San Jose State 18. Technical
fouls--Princeton-None, San Jose State-None.
Game 11 2014 DIRECTV Wooden Legacy
TV: ESPN3