SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San José State men's basketball team begins a three-game homestand with UC Riverside visiting the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Sunday for a 2 PM tipoff.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (3-9, 0-2 MW)
PPG: 65.8 | FG%: 39.4 | 3FG%: 27.8 | FT%: 67.1
Notes: The Spartans trailed by as much as 17 points in the second half at Santa Clara on Wednesday. San José State cut the lead to six late in the game but couldn't finish off the comeback at the Leavey Center. The Spartans scored 58 points in the second half after posting 26 points in the first half. Five players scored in double figures led by Zach Chappell's career-high 20 off the bench. Chappell went 6-of-8 at the free throw line and 2-for-4 from three. Wednesday was the first time this season the Spartans shot better than 45 percent from the field and lost the game.
UC RIVERSIDE HIGHLANDERS (7-5, 0-0 Big West)
PPG: 63.8 | FG%: 43.6 | 3FG%: 33.2 | FT%: 68.7
Series: The Spartans lead, 4-3 (3-1 in San José)
Last: SJSU lost, 66-64, on Dec. 12, 2011 in Riverside
Notes: UC Riverside opened up the season with a 66-47 upset at Nebraska but have stumbled a bit lately, falling to Cal Baptist on Dec. 4, Washington State on Dec. 15 and Northern Arizona on Thursday. The Highlanders are led offensively by forward Callum McRae's 10.3 points per game. He also leads UCR with 7.4 rebounds per game. Dragan Elkaz is shooting 42.5% from three (31-of-73) while Dominick Pickett is shooting 44.2% from long range (19-of-43).
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV - None
Stream - Free at sjsuspartans.com/watch
Radio - Justin Allegri on the call through TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app. Search TuneIn for "San Jose St. Basketball".
SPARTANS COME UP JUST SHORT AT SANTA CLARA
- Down by as much as 17 points in the second half, the Spartans rallied back but the comeback fell short in an 89-85 loss at Santa Clara on Dec. 18.
- San José State scored 58 points in the second half after scoring just 26 in the first half.
- The Spartans had five players score in double figures for the first time since a win over Life Pacific on Nov. 7, 2018.
- Guard Zach Chappell tallied a career-high 20 points off the bench and dished out a team-high six assists.
- In his first career start, forward Ralph Agee posted 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
- SJSU outrebounded Santa Clara, 36-25.
HEARTBREAK AT SAN DIEGO STATE
- The Spartans suffered a heartbreaking loss at San Diego State on Dec. 8. Up by a point with five seconds remaining, the Spartans saw SDSU point guard Malachi Flynn hit a deep three-pointer at the buzzer for the win.
- Forward Ralph Agee posted his first double-double for the Spartans with 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
- The Spartans held SDSU to just 31.7 percent shooting.
- SJSU matched a season-low with 11 turnovers.
SPARTANS STYMIE GRAMBLING STATE
- Grambling State entered the game on Nov. 20 with the nation's No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 114 points over its first three games.
- The Spartans held the Tigers 38 points under their average in an 83-76 win at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
- Grambling State was 1-of-10 shooting on three-pointers.
BALANCED EFFORT IN WIN VS. SIMPSON
- The Spartans had 13 different players score in an 85-60 win over Simpson on Nov. 17.
- Guard Zach Chappell came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points, including a pair of three-pointers.
- Guard Seneca Knight was 6-of-8 shooting for 15 points.
- Forward Ralph Agee posted 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
- Freshman walk-on Harminder Dhaliwal made his collegiate debut and had two points and two rebounds in six minutes.
SPARTANS STUN HOFSTRA IN SEASON-OPENER
- San José State opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra on the road, 79-71, on Nov. 6.
- Hofstra won 27 games last year, SJSU lost 27 games.
- In his Spartan debut, JC transfer and former Wake Forest guard, Richard Washington, posted a team-high 23 points off the bench on 8-of-13 shooting. He scored 12 of his 23 points in the final four minutes, including a stretch of three straight three-pointers to put the game away.
- It was SJSU's first win in a road opener since 2010-11 when the Spartans topped Eastern Washington, 67-60.
- The Spartans snapped a 21-game road losing streak dating back to the 2017-18 campaign.
- SJSU won on the East Coast for the first time since 2001-02, when the Spartans defeated Fairleigh Dickinson at the BCA Tournament hosted by NC State in Raleigh, N.C.