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Agee, Smith Power Spartans To Third-Straight Victory

PHOENIX – Ralph Agee and Trey Smith had nights to remember as they combined for 43 points to lead San Jose State men's basketball to their third-straight victory with a 75-62 win over Air Force Saturday evening at Ability 360 Sport And Fitness Center.
 
Agee, a senior from Victorville, Calif., finished with his second-career double-double with career highs of 22 points and 14 rebounds. The big man was 9-for-11 from the field while playing all 40 minutes. His 14 rebounds are the most by a Spartan since Christian Anigwe pulled down 14 against Oregon State on Nov. 11, 2019.
 
Smith knocked down a career-best five 3-pointers and was 6-for-8 from the charity stripe for a career-high 21 points on the evening. Three of those triples came when the Spartans needed them most.
 

 
After leading 39-28 at the halftime break, Air Force used a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to just three at 45-42 with 15:00 to play. After some back and forth, the Falcons once again made it a three-point game at 56-53 with just 7:09 remaining. That's when Smith stepped up to knock down three treys in the span of two minutes to give the Spartans a comfortable 10-point lead that they were able to hold on to for the remainder.
 
This is the first time since 2017 that the Spartans have swept a conference opponent. It is also the first time since 2017 that SJSU has won at least three-straight conference games.
 

 
For the second-straight game, the Spartans came out on fire to start the contest, knocking down 61.5 percent in the first half (16-of-26). Sebastian Mendoza knocked down 4-of-5 field goal attempts while Agee flirted with an early double-double with 8 points and seven rebounds.
 
The Spartans opened up with a 15-2 lead and led by as much as 16 in the opening 20 minutes after Mendoza knocked down his first of two triples in the half with 7:16 on the clock. SJSU continued to shoot well despite Air Force cutting the deficit back down to 12 for a 39-28 score at the break.
 
Omari Moore also impressed on the night with a stat-stuffing six points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Mendoza finished with 13 points and five rebounds while Caleb Simmons pulled down six rebounds to go with four assists and four points. The Spartans finished the contest 27-of-52 (52 percent) from the field and knocked down 12-of-18 free throw attempts. SJSU also came away as the victor in the battle of the boards, out-rebounding Air Force 35-26.
 

 
A.J. Walker was one of four Falcons to finish in double figures with 16 points. As a team, Air Force continued to struggle against the Spartan Defense, finishing with just a 41 percent shooting clip (25-of-61).

With the win, the Spartans will close the chapter on their time in Phoenix as they get ready to head back to San Jose for the first time since the start of conference play in late December. 


 
SPARTAN ATHLETICS FUND FAN CUTOUTS:
Spartan Nation, don't miss your chance to be represented in the stands in Provident Credit Union Event Center this season. If interested in a cardboard cutout, follow this link to register!