SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose State men's basketball was unable to keep up with Wyoming down the stretch as a late run propelled the Cowboys to a 71-66 win inside the Provident Credit Union Saturday afternoon.
With the loss, SJSU drops to 7-16 overall and 3-8 in league play. The win was Wyoming's first of conference play after entering the day 0-10.
The Spartans entered the second half up 27-26 after a 3-ball from Brae Ivey with :19 seconds on the clock lifted SJSU to their advantage. They came out of the break to another Ivey trey, but Wyoming responded by rattling off an 11-0 run to take a 41-32 lead with 15:51 remaining.
Not to be outdone, SJSU punched back with a 9-0 run of their own to tie the game at 41 with 13:46 on the clock. Richard Washington was the catalyst with five points in the spree. The teams then exchanged blows until a 3-ball from Ivey gave the Spartans their largest lead of the half at five at the 8:16 mark.
Heading into the final five minutes, Wyoming began to knock down the shots needed to take control. They closed out the contest on a 13-1 run, first taking the lead with 3:38 remaining. The Spartans put up a couple errant attempts on their offensive possessions but just couldn't get the ball to fall. SJSU was scoreless from the floor for the final six minutes of play before Seneca Knight scored under the basket just before the buzzer.
Wyoming hit 48 percent of their shots for the contest while SJSU was held to a 37 percent shooting clip. The Spartans had a poor start from 3-point range with a 2-for-12 start, but responded nicely to finish with nine for the game. Wyoming knocked down just five triples, but knocked them down when they needed, including a dagger with 17 seconds left to go up by five.
Seneca Knight led all players with 21 points, his sixth 20-point game of the season. Washington added 14 points with three 3-pointers and Ivey finished with 11 points with a trio of triples of his own.
Hunter Maldonado was one of five Cowboys to score in double figures, finishing with 19 points while also dishing out a game-high seven assists.
The Spartans return to action on Saturday, Feb. 8, in Reno against Nevada.