SAN JOSE, Calif. - It took 356 days, but San Jose State men's basketball finally made a return home to the Provident Credit Union Event Center for their first true home game of the 2020-21 season. The Spartans saw three players score at least 15 points, however it was enough to keep up with UNLV as SJSU dropped game one to the Rebels by a final of 76-60 on Friday evening.
Senior forward Ralph Agee tied for a game-high 18 points in the losing effort before having to exit the contest with just under five minutes to play due to injury. Trey Smith and Richard Washington, making his first appearance for the Spartans since suffering an injury himself against New Mexico on January 21, each chipped in 15 points. Smith extended his streak of double-figure scoring efforts to six games. Freshman Sebastian Mendoza also chipped in eight points in his second start of the season.
Unfortunately for the Spartans there wasn't much offense to be found outside of the starters as the bench was unable to score any points. As a whole, SJSU shot 36 percent (22-61) against a 56 percent clip for UNLV (31-55). Despite the poor shooting the Spartans had their chances in the game, heading into the locker room with just a three-point deficit at 35-32. Out of the break, the Rebels grabbed an 11-point lead after a 6-0 burst with 16:15 to play, but SJSU swung right back with a 7-0 run of their own to cut the deficit to four. Points were then tough to come by as the Spartans converted just two buckets over the next 5:37 of game time, and UNLV took advantage by mounting a 15- point advantage that proved too much to overcome.
With the loss, SJSU dropped to 5-14, 3-12 MW while UNLV improved to 9-11, 6-7 MW. The Rebels were led by Bryce Hamilton's 18 points and won the battle of the boards 42-26.
The Spartans and Rebels will play one more on Sunday. Tip is slated for 1:00 p.m. PT and will be carried live by CBS Sports Network.
