SAN JOSE, Calif. - Mekhi Mason recorded 22 points, shooting 7-for-8 from the field and 3-for-3 from three-point range to lead the San José State men’s basketball team (1-2, 0-0 MW) in a 80-75 loss to UC Riverside (3-0, 0-0 Big West) Thursday night from the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
The Spartans jumped out to a 16-3 advantage behind an early offensive surge from Mason and Joey Chammaa. San José State maintained its lead through much of the opening half before the Highlanders closed the gap. Chammaa’s two free throws in the final seconds gave SJSU a 37-36 advantage at halftime.
San José State continued to battle in the second half, building a 49-45 lead midway through the period. The game remained tight throughout the final minutes, with the Spartans taking a 67-66 lead on a Mason layup with five minutes remaining.
Mookie Cook’s driving layup put SJSU ahead 69-66 with 4:18 to play, and a basket from Hannah gave the Spartans a 75-72 lead with 2:07 remaining. UC Riverside responded with a three-pointer from Easton Reagan before Tony Duckett scored with one minute left to give the Highlanders a 76-75 advantage. The Spartans were unable to regain the lead as UC Riverside took the game 80-75.
Chammaa added 15 points, five assists and three rebounds, while Robert Vaihola recorded 10 points and seven rebounds. JaVaughn Hannah contributed nine points and three assists. Zine Eddine Bedri also had 10 points off the bench.
San José State shot 60.5 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range. UC Riverside finished 54.9 percent from the floor and held a 40-14 advantage in bench scoring. The Spartans turned the ball over 24 times, leading to 30 UCR points.
- Mason has now scored 20 or more in out of three of the Spartans games this season
- Chammaa has scored 15 or more points in all three games this season
- Vaihola is 12-for-13 from the field on the year after missing his first shot of the season in the game
- Oliver Kullamäe had a career-high three steals
- Bedri’s 10 points was a season-high
- Brayden Barrett made his collegiate debut
UP NEXT: The Spartans will face Alabama State on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. The game can be watched on MW+.
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