SAN DIEGO, Calif. – San Jose State men's basketball, presented by Provident Credit Union, was held in check on Monday in game one vs. San Diego State, putting an end to the Spartans three-game winning streak.
Neither team found much offensive success as the Spartans shot 34 percent (17-of-50) for the night as they dropped to 3-10 in league play and 5-12 overall. San Diego State didn't fare much better at 37 percent (26-of-71), however they pulled ahead late in the first half and never looked back, cruising to an 85-54 victory inside Viejas Arena.
Leading 21-20 midway through the first half, it appeared that the Spartans offense was poised to have another big night as they knocked down nine of their first 16 shots from the floor. The hot start was not sustained, however, as SJSU went cold at the most inopportune of times, finishing the period 0-for-6 inside the final four minutes. San Diego State took advantage of the shooting woes as they used a 13-1 run to close out the half and take a 47-29 lead into the locker room.
A good bulk of the Aztecs' points came way of the charity stripe where they knocked down 15-of-20 attempts in the opening 20 minutes. On the other end of the floor, the Spartans earned just four trips to the free throw line where they finished 2-for-4.
The shooting woes carried over into the second half and affected both teams with SJSU shooting 27.3 percent (6-22) and San Diego State hitting 12-of-40 attempts (30 percent). The Aztecs did, however, did carry their scoring spree over into the start of the second half with a 12-2 run out of the break to take an unsurmountable 28 point lead. The lead was extended to as much as 35 inside six minutes to play.
Jalen Dalcourt led the Spartan offense with 13 points for his sixth game in double-figure scoring of the season. Trey Smith also dipped into double figures with 12 points to continue his good play of late. The junior from Cypress, Calif. is averaging 16 points per game in the last four games.
Freshman Michael Ofoegbu, making his return to the court for the first time since the season-opener in which he suffered an injury inside the first three minutes of the game, scored his first points as a Spartan with a pair of second half free throws. He finished the night with five points in 16 minutes.
San Diego State (14-4, 8-3 MW) was led by Jordan Schakel's 23 points as four Aztecs finished in double figures. The Aztecs won the rebounding battle 54-30 and finished 77 percent from the free throw line and 6-of-27 from 3-point range.
The Spartans will get another crack at San Diego State on Wednesday. Tip is slated for 8:00 p.m. PT and will be carried live by CBS Sports Network.
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!