FRESNO, Calif. – Richard Washington continued to impress as he scored a game-high 24 points to lead San Jose State men's basketball against Fresno State on Sunday. However, it wasn't enough to lead the Spartans to victory as they fell by a final of 80-65 inside the Save Mart Center.
Washington's 24 points mark the sixth game of the senior's campaign he's scored at least 20 points. He finished with eight rebounds to fall just shy of a double-double. Ralph Agee scored 14 points and pulled down four rebounds and freshman Nate Lacewell grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds.
The Spartans (2-8, 0-6 MW) finished the game shooting 39 percent (24-of-62) while Fresno State (5-3, 3-3 MW) shot 44 percent. The Bulldogs scored 49 percent of their points from beyond the arc (39-of-80).
The game was a defensive battle for the majority of the first half as the Spartans held Fresno State to a 5-for-15 start in the first 10 minutes. The shots then began to fall for the Bulldogs as they rattled off a 14-2 run to take a 19 point lead inside the final two minutes. Fresno State ended the period shooting 45 percent (14-of-31), including 6-of-13 from 3-point range as they took a 41-25 lead into the locker room.
The Spartans shot 29 percent (9-of-31) in the first half with Washington knocking down 12 of the team's 25 points.
The second half saw an improved shooting clip from the Spartans, knocking down 15-of-31 attempts (48.4 percent), but it wasn't enough to cut enough into the Fresno State lead. SJSU closed the game on a 16-3 run.
Fresno State got 55 points from their bench, mostly from Deon Stroud (22 points) and Jordan Campbell (16 points). They also won the rebounding battle 44-39.
The Spartans return to action on Thursday, Jan. 14, against Colorado State.
SPARTAN ATHLETICS FUND FAN CUTOUTS:
Spartan Nation, don't miss your chance to be represented in the stands at the Provident Credit Union Event Center this season. If interested in a cardboard cutout, follow this link to register!
