Feb. 3, 2018
San Jose, Calif. --- Spartan Jaycee Hillsman finished with a double-double including a career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, but the San José State men's basketball team lost a nail-biter, 71-68, to New Mexico in Mountain West play inside The Event Center.
Turnovers have haunted the Spartans (3-19, 0-11 MW) all season long and did once more on Saturday. SJSU turned it over a season-high 25 times leading to 30 points for the Lobos (12-12, 7-4).
Two costly giveaways came with less than two minutes to go. First with New Mexico leading 67-63 with 1:34 to play Ryan Welage drove the lane and lost the handle for his eighth turnover of the game thanks to a swipe from UNM's Joe Furstinger. The result was a layup for the Lobos, making it a two-possession game with 1:09 to go.
Nai Carlisle gave the Spartans another chance when he converted a traditional three-point play to make it 70-68 Lobos lead with 33 seconds remaining. After SJSU got the stop on the defensive end Noah Baumann tried to make a short outlet pass from nearly underneath the Lobos basket, but threw it straight to UNM's Sam Logwood. Logwood was fouled and made one of his two free throws which set up a last-second 35-foot heave from Ryan Welage that could have tied the game, but went off iron.
Hillsman was SJSU's best player of the day, but he watched the events in the final 2:44 of regulation from the bench after picking up his fifth foul. All five of his fouls came in the second half. With 21 points and 11 rebounds it was his first double-double of the season and the first of his career against a Division I opponent.
San José State fell behind early in the first half by as many as 13 points. But the deficit vanished with one of the hottest streaks of the season during which SJSU made 10 consecutive baskets. Welage made a layup at the 7:25 mark and the Spartans didn't miss again until a desperation three as time expired in the first period. By the 3:40 mark San José State had turned the 11-point hole into a 31-26 lead following a Welage 3-pointer.
The rest of the way was back-and-forth with neither team taking a lead larger than seven points.
SJSU outrebounded UNM, 43-19, and shot 47.1 percent (24-51) compared to the Lobos' 41.4 percent (24-58). The Spartans made 17-of-22 free throws while New Mexico was 12-for-20 from the line. But the 25 turnovers were too much to overcome and SJSU dropped its 11th straight game.
Welage finished with a game-high 22 points. Antino Jackson led the Lobos with 17 points.
San José State has a bye on Wednesday before heading on the road to face Colorado State on February 10.
Newspaper Box Score
New Mexico vs San José State
02/03/18 3:00 PM at San Jose, Calif. (The Event Center)
At San Jose, Calif. (The Event Center)
NEW MEXICO 71, SAN JOSé STATE 68
NEW MEXICO (12-12, 7-4 MW)
JACKSON, Antino 6-15 2-3 17; MATHIS, Anthony 5-10 1-1 15; FURSTINGER, Joe
4-7 4-7 12; LOGWOOD, Sam 3-5 4-7 10; McNEAL, Chris 2-7 1-2 6; SIMONS, Troy
2-5 0-0 6; MALUACH, Makuach 1-2 0-0 3; KUIPER, Dane 1-7 0-0 2. Totals 24-58
12-20 71.
SAN JOSé STATE (3-19, 0-11 MW)
Welage, Ryan 7-16 6-6 22; Hillsman, Jaycee 7-10 6-7 21; Carlisle, Nai 3-6
2-4 8; Barry, Oumar 4-5 0-1 8; FISHER, Keith 3-5 0-0 6; James, Jalen 0-5 2-2
2; Nichols, Isaiah 0-3 1-2 1; Baumann, Noah 0-1 0-0 0; Chastain, Ashtin 0-0
0-0 0. Totals 24-51 17-22 68.
New Mexico.................... 36 35 - 71
San José State................ 39 29 - 68
3-point goals--New Mexico 11-35 (MATHIS, Anthony 4-8; JACKSON, Antino 3-10;
SIMONS, Troy 2-4; McNEAL, Chris 1-6; MALUACH, Makuach 1-1; KUIPER, Dane
0-6), San José State 3-13 (Welage, Ryan 2-7; Hillsman, Jaycee 1-3; JAMES,
Jalen 0-2; Nichols, Isaiah 0-1). Fouled out--New Mexico-None, San José
State-HILLSMAN, Jaycee. Rebounds--New Mexico 19 (FURSTINGER, Joe 7), San
José State 43 (Hillsman, Jaycee 11). Assists--New Mexico 14 (JACKSON, Antino
5), San José State 13 (James, Jalen 5). Total fouls--New Mexico 21, San José
State 22. Technical fouls--New Mexico-None, San José State-None. A-2151