PHOENIX - San Jose State and New Mexico men's basketball are set to square off on Thursday and Sunday as both teams look to clinch their first win in Mountain West play. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in Albuquerque, the games will be played at Burns Arena on the campus of Dixie State in St. George, Utah. Both games will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
Game Nos. 13 and 14
San Jose State (2-10, 0-8 MW) vs. New Mexico (4-8, 0-8 MW)
St. George, Utah | Burns Arena
Thurs. Jan. 21, 1:00 p.m. MT | Sat. Jan. 23, 1:00 p.m. MT
TV AND RADIO COVERAGE
Both games will be streamed live on the Mountain West Digital Network. Fans can also catch Justin Allegri's Spartan Radio call on the TuneIn app or TuneIn.com.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
» Like the Spartans, New Mexico enters this weekend's series looking for their first win in Mountain West play. The Lobos last squared off against UNLV and gave the Rebels all they could handle in a narrow 53-46 loss.
» New Mexico, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Dr. Paul Weir, is led on the court by senior forward Makuach Maluach, who is averaging 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
LAST TIME OUT VS. THE LOBOS
» The Spartans and Lobos split last year's contests with the home squads both coming away with victories. SJSU won the first meeting by a final of 88-85 in San Jose. Richard Washington knocked down a career-best seven 3-pointers, the last of which coming with just three seconds remaining on the game clock to lift the Spartans to victory. He finished with 25 points.
» Game two in Albuquerque saw a different outcome as the Lobos shot 57 percent for the game and cruised to an 86-59 win.
WASHINGTON CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
» Senior guard Richard Washington is the Mountain West's leading scorer at 22.2 points per game, which also ranks ninth nationally. He is also ranked 16th nationally in total points with 266.
» Washington has reached double-figure points in 11-of-12 games, has seven
performances of 20-plus points and three 30-point games. The senior also has tallied the first two double-doubles of his career.
» His three 30-point outings are the most by a Spartan since 2011 (Adrian Oliver, 6).
» Washington is coming off another productive series against Colorado State, finishing with totals of 35 and 15 points, respectively. His 35 points are the most by any Mountain West player in a league game this season.
» Washington has scored at least 15 points in the last six games and is averaging 24.5 points during the stretch.
MENDOZA FINDS HIS RHYTHM
» Freshman guard Sebastian Mendoza is coming off a career-best night against Colorado State, finishing with 15 points (5-of-12) and knocked down 3-of-7 triples.
AGEE GETTING IT DONE
» Senior Ralph Agee has started to hit his stride as of late, scoring at least 12 points in six of the last seven games. Against Boise State, he finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively, before going off for a career-best 18 points against Benedictine Mesa. He came up just shy of a double-double against the Redhawks with a season-best nine rebounds.
» Against Fresno State, Agee finished with 13 and 14 points, respectively. After leaving game one against Colorado State with an injury, he bounced back to finish with 12 points and five rebounds in game two vs. the Rams.
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY
» The Spartans are ranked third in league play with 3.5 blocks per game. Sophomore Omari Moore has been one of the driving forces behind that number with an average of 1.4 per game. He ranks third individually in the conference in both overall (1.5) and league play.
SPARTAN ATHLETICS FUND FAN CUTOUTS:
Spartan Nation, don't miss your chance to be represented in the stands in Phoenix this season. If interested in a cardboard cutout, follow this link to register!