RTL17013_221228201924RTL17013_221228201924
Terrell Lloyd

Moore's Scores 29 As Spartans Improve to 2-0 in MW Play

Box Score

FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Omari Moore scored a career-best 29 points and led the San José State men's basketball team to a 78-70 comeback victory over Colorado State Saturday afternoon inside Moby Arena. The Spartans improved to 11-4 on the season and 2-0 in the MW for the first time in school history.

  • Moore had a balanced scoring attack, scoring 14 in the first half and 15 in the second. He was 9-of-15 from the field and a blistering 5-for-8 from three-point range.
  • Moore's five three-pointers made is a new career best, eclipsing the four he made in two different games.
  • Moore also assisted on five Spartans buckets which totaled 14 points of the offense.
  • Sage Tolbert III recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds including 11 defensive boards.
  • The Spartans started slowly, trailing by as many as 14 in the first half at 24-10. The team slowly chipped away at the Ram lead and got within two points at 35-33 with 43 seconds remaining before going down 36-33 at halftime.
  • There were seven lead changes in the second half, the final coming with five minutes remaining in the game as Robert Vaihola took a pass from Moore and scored to make it 59-57. The Spartans never gave back the lead and improved to 9-1 on the season when leading with five minutes remaining in the game.
  • Four Spartans scored in double figures in the win, led by Moore's 29. Alvaro Cardenas and Tibet Görener each had 12 points followed by Tolbert's 11.
  • San José State made a season-best 13 three-point field goals in the game, eclipsing the 11 made against Hofstra and Pacific. The team was 13-27 from behind the arc.
  • The team recorded eight blocks, tying the season high, as five Spartans recorded at least one block. Vaihola led the team with three blocks, while Görener had two.
  • San José State, second in the nation in rebound margin, outrebounded the Rams 42-27, with 11 offensive and 31 defensive rebounds.
  • The win over Colorado State is the first in Spartan men's basketball history. San José State entered the game 0-23 in the all-time series.
  • The road MW win is the first true road conference win for the Spartans since the 2016-17 season when SJSU won at UNLV, 76-74, on February 11, 2017. The Spartans had four players in double figures that game, led by Jaycee Hillsman with 16.
  • Spartan head coach Tim Miles returned to Colorado State for the first time since leaving in 2012 when he took the head coaching job at Nebraska.
  • Miles is now 2-0 on the season when facing former assistants. Rams head coach Niko Medved was an assistant during the Colorado State years. In the win over Ball State, Miles faced another assistant in Michael Lewis who worked with Miles during the Nebraska years.  

UP NEXT – The Spartans continue on the road to start the new year as the team plays at Boise State Tuesday night at 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT. Listen to the game on 1220 AM KDOW with Justin Allegri on the call or watch on the Mountain West Network.
 
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