Jan. 22, 2016
SPARTANS HOST A HUNGRY NEW MEXICO TEAM ON SATURDAYNew Mexico comes to The Event Center Saturday having lost two straight, and most recently to the Wyoming team which San José State beat. The Lobos had won three straight before the recent slide and will be hungry for a win. Although the Spartans have never topped the Lobos, The Event Center has proven to be a tough place for UNM to play. The last meeting in San Jose in 2014 was tightly contested, but went UNM's way, 69-65. It won't be any easier for SJSU this season as the Lobos are the most efficient shooting team in the league.
GAME #20San José State (6-13, 1-6 MW) vs. New Mexico (10-8, 3-2 MW)Saturday, January 23, 2:00 p.m. PSTThe Event Center (5,000)San Jose, Calif.TV: Campus InsidersRadio: KLIV 1590 AM & Stretch Internet RadioC-L-A-R-K-E SPELLS EFFICIENCYBrandon Clarke finished 6 of 7 shooting with 13 points against Boise State on Wednesday and improved his shooting percentage to a team-best .636 (56-88). He is 17 of 25 (.680) from the floor during conference play while averaging 7.6 points per game. His 11 rebounds at Boise State notched his second consecutive double-double, and he's had multiple blocks in three of the last four contests.WELAGE MAKING AN EARLY CASE FOR FOYRyan Welage scored a team-high 19 points at Boise State and continues to lead all Mountain West freshmen in scoring overall (12.9 ppg) and during conference play (16.4 ppg). The Greensburg, Ind., native also leads all freshmen in the league with 37 made threes and his .440 shooting clip from downtown is second overall in the MW. Welage is top five in defensive rebounding at 5.1 per game, and he has recorded three double-doubles this season with points and rebounds.TRIAL BY FIRESan José State's Mountain West foes are seeing a much different team this season then they have in recent years. Largely in part to a group of freshmen that have become the nucleus of the team. Over the course of conference play, it is common to see four true freshman: Ryan Welage, Brandon Clarke, Cody Schwartz and Jaycee Hillsman all on the court at the same time. All four of them are averaging over 21 minutes per game during league play. The Spartans have started three true freshmen in every conference game.SAN JOSé state vs. new mexicoThe meeting between San José State and New Mexico will be the 10th all-time in program history dating back to the 1961-62 season. The Spartans only played the Lobos once last season, ending in a 67-41 loss. It was a tightly contested game the last time UNM visited The Event Center on January 11, 2014. The Lobos pulled out a 69-65 win that night.MORE ON NEW MEXICOThe Lobos (10-8, 3-2 MW) come into town after a week off since their 70-68 loss at home to Wyoming. New Mexico began the conference season with three straight wins, but has since lost two in a row. The balanced scoring team, with four players averaging double-figures during conference play, is led by Elijah Brown (19.2 ppg). Brown is also one of three players averaging at last 5.5 rebounds per game on the year. New Mexico is the most efficient shooting team in the Mountain West at 47 percent. The third-place Lobos are 2-3 on the road this year.SPARTANS GIVE BULLDOGS A SCARE ON THE ROADSan José State showed exactly what it's capable of doing last week on the road at Fresno State -- shooting it's way out of a 19-point second half deficit. The problem is, being down by 19 in the first place. The Spartans got red-hot during a run in the second half behind five Ryan Welage threes, and cut the Bulldogs' 19-point lead to just one. San José State shot 30 percent (9-30) in the first half, and 53 percent (19-36) in the second. Fresno State pulled out an 81-74 win, using a couple of clutch shots in the final minutes, and an opponent-record 35 made free throws.
KEEP SHOOTING WELYThe message to freshman Ryan Welage after 4 of 12 shooting and 0 of 6 from downtown in the first 20 minutes at Fresno State was, `just keep shooting'. That's exactly what he did, and he looked like a different player, making seven of his next eight shots and all five from beyond the arc in the second half. In doing so he led San José State back from a 19-point deficit, and finished with a season-high 28 points. He ended the night 11 of 20 shooting.SPARTANS DEFEAT WYOMING TO END MW DROUGHTSan José State ended a 27-game losing streak Mountain West play when it beat Wyoming, 62-55, on Wednesday night in The Event Center. The Spartans took the lead with 12:25 to go in the first half, and never relinquished it. Gary Williams, Jr., led the way with a season-high 18 points, including six consecutive free throws in the final 1:27 to secure the victory.CLARKE'S PRESENCE FELT ON BOTH ENDS IN THE WINFreshman forward Brandon Clarke balanced SJSU's offense by scoring 10 points on the inside on 5 of 8 shooting. But his biggest contribution came on the defensive end in the final three minutes. He forced two Josh Adams turnovers, which led to points on the other end, and he blocked Alexander Aka Gorski's potential go-ahead layup in the final minutes.
ONWAS EYEING BOUNCE-BACK AFTER A TOUGH WEEKLast week was a tough one for Spartans' senior guard Princeton Onwas. He was held scoreless for the first time all year on the road at Fresno State (1/16), and in the Wyoming win (1/13) he committed eight turnovers, finished with seven points and fouled out with 4:32 to play. However, back-to-back career highs in points with 23 at San Diego State (1/6) and 24 versus Colorado State (1/9) are no distant memory at all. Onwas has played a handful of his best games since conference play began and head coach Dave Wojcik gave him the reigns to the offense from the point guard position.