RichRich
Terrell Lloyd

Spartans Give It All They Got In Loss Against Boise State

PHOENIX – Richard Washington and Jalen Dalcourt combined for 49 points and put San Jose State men's basketball in a position to pull off a monumental upset over 27-point favorite Boise State, but the Broncos escaped with a 87-86 win after Washington's 3-point attempt at the buzzer fell just short.
 
Despite the loss, San Jose State (presented by Provident Credit Union) turned plenty of heads and showed a lot of heart as they played by-far their most complete game of the season. SJSU shot 50.9 percent from the field and knocked down 14-of-27 3-point attempts. The 51.9 percent 3-point clip is the best since Feb. 22, 2017 when the Spartans hit 57.1 percent against Utah State.
 
Washington, who checked into the game as the second-leading scorer in the Mountain West, broke free of his shooting slump as he connected on 7-of-11 3-point attempts, five of which came in the second half. The senior finished with a game-high 26 points.
 
Dalcourt was one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of the night as he made his San Jose State debut after missing the first six games due to injury. The Lafayette, La. Product was lights out, knocking down 7-of-11 attempts from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line to finish with 23 points.
 
The duo of Washington and Dalcourt became the first pair of Spartans to score 20 points each in the same game since Feb. 26, 2019 (Michael Steadman and Noah Baumann vs. New Mexico).
 

 
Just two nights after being blown out by 52 points against the Broncos, San Jose State locked down on the potent Boise State offense, holding them to a 42 percent scoring clip (26-of-62), including 33 percent from beyond the arc.
 
The game saw 12 lead changes in the final 13:23 of the second half with Dalcourt handing the Spartans their first lead with the back end of a conventional 3-point play at 53-52. Boise State leading scorer Derrick Alston, Jr. hit two freebies of his own to regain the lead on the next possession, but Richard Washington knocked down his third triple of the half to take the lead right back.
 
Boise State scored the next six points and looked to take control of the contest with 11:35 remaining, but Dalcourt drew a shooting foul in the corner and knocked down all three attempts at the free throw line to cut it back down to one. After a Boise State layup, Dalcourt knocked down a triple to tie the game with 10:38 on the clock.
 
After more back and forth, senior Ralph Agee came up huge for the Spartans as scored on a hard foul and converted the free throw. Then on the next possession he drew a foul and knocked down to more freebies to give SJSU the lead once again at 70-69 with 6:30 remaining. Boise State quickly regained a four point lead, but a four-point swing by Dalcourt tied things right back up.
 
Boise State continued to maintain a slim advantage for the next four minutes, but Washington gave the Spartans the lead once again on a triple with 1:45 on the clock. The lead changed again on consecutive possessions as Alston and Trey Smith exchanged layups. In the final minute, it was Alston (20 points, 10 rebounds) that made his biggest play of the night as he scored a conventional 3 to give Boise State a two-point lead, but Washington had one more triple left in the gas tank as he buried one from the wing with :37 seconds remaining to give SJSU their last lead of the evening.
 
Inside the final :20 seconds, the Spartans looked to have gotten the stop they desperately needed as they forced an errant shot, but Abu Kigab collected the offensive rebound and scored in the paint with :14 seconds on the clock to take a one-point lead. The Spartans had one final crack at it on the ensuing possession, but was unable to convert as Washington's attempt from the top of the key bounced off the front iron.
 
With the loss, the Spartans drop to 1-6, 0-4 MW while Boise State improved to a perfect 4-0 in league play and  8-1 overall.  
 

 
In addition to Washington and Dalcourt, the Spartans saw big numbers from newcomer Nate Lacewell, who made his first collegiate start and finished with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds and Agee (12 points, five rebounds).
 
SJSU returns to action on Monday against Benedictine Mesa. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. MT at Ability 360 Sport and Fitness Center.
 
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!