SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose State men's basketball was unable to keep the winning ways rolling as Portland State lead from start to finish in a 91-76 final Saturday night at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
The Spartans played from behind from the get-go as Portland State jumped out to an 11-point lead with 10:22 on the clock before Richard Washington swung the momentum back to SJSU's favor with a deep trey. Zach Chappell scored the next nine Spartan points with three triples to cut the deficit to three at 26-23. Unfortunately they couldn't keep it up as the Vikings closed the half with a 14-6 run to take a 40-30 lead into the locker room.
Portland State showed no signs of slowing down out of the break as they extended the lead to 16 at the second media timeout at 52-36. A 15-2 Viking run then put the game out of reach as they claimed a 24 point advantage. SJSU turned the ball over five times in the span and finished the night with 20 turnovers.
SJSU didn't go down quietly however as Seneca Knight sparked an 11-0 Spartan run that cut the lead down to 69-56 with 5:13 to go before a conventional 3 put an end to it. After a pair of Chappell free throws, the lead was cut to 11, which was as close as the Spartans would get. Portland State hit their free throws in the final minutes to close the door and pick up their second win of the season.
The Spartans (3-3) were held to a 40 (25-of-63) percent shooting clip and was 28 percent from behind the arc after putting up 25 shots. They made just three of 10 in the second half.
SJSU got the majority of their points (47) from off the bench as Washington (18) and Chappell (17) combined for 35 points. Knight, who was held scoreless until 7:36 was remaining, finished with 17 points of his own. Washington pulled down a team-high eight boards.
Despite a poor start from the free throw line in the first half, SJSU fared well in the second going 16-of-17 from the charity strip in the period.
Portland State (2-3) was led by Matt Hauser's game-high 24 points. He was one of six Vikings to reach double-digits. The team shot 44 percent for the night (35-of-79).
The Spartans return to action on Wednesday as they take on Oregon State at the Orleans in Las Vegas.