SAN DIEGO, Calif. – San Jose State men's basketball junior guard Trey Smith scored a career-high 22 points, but it wasn't enough to lead the Spartans to victory as they fell 77-55 to San Diego State Wednesday evening in Viejas Arena.
The Spartans, presented by Provident Credit Union, played well enough in the opening 20 minutes to keep up with the Aztecs, but wasn't able to carry the success into the second half. Despite the loss, the Spartans shot the ball well from 3-point range knocking down 10 triples for the third time this season.
Smith finished the evening 4-for-6 from 3-point range and 5-of-13 overall. He also pulled down a career-best eight rebounds. It is the second time in the last three games that the Cypress, Calif. product has scored at least 20 points.
After trailing 7-2 early, the Spartans (5-13, 3-11 MW) rattled off nine straight punctuated by a steal and slam by Omari Moore to take an 11-7 lead inside 13 minutes in the first half. From that point on it was a defensive scrum as neither team found much success shooting the ball in the opening 20 minutes. San Diego State started the night 5-for-21 from the floor before hitting a few shots late in the period to finish the half 12-of-33 (36 percent). San Jose State struggled as well, knocking down just 3-of-11 attempts inside the final 12 minutes. Smith scored 12 of the Spartans' 27 first half points to lead all scorers at the break.
San Diego State (15-4, 9-3 MW) broke the game open midway through the second half as they took advantage of a poor shooting half for the Spartans, using a 22-6 run to take a 62-41 lead with under nine to play. The Aztecs went on to shoot 42.5 percent (17-40) for the half while the Spartans converted on just 23.3 percent (7-30).
Sebastian Mendoza finished with 14 points and grabbed seven boards while Ralph Agee also pulled down seven rebounds. SJSU finished the night 14-of-51 from the floor compared to a 29-for-73 finish by the Aztecs. For the second-straight game, Jordan Schakel led all scorers with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting.
The Spartans will make their long-awaited return to the Provident Credit Union Event Center for a four-game home stand beginning Saturday, Feb. 13, against Nevada.
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!
