San Jose State 62, Nevada 60
San Jose, Calif. - The San Jose State University men’s basketball team has shown an improved look since the first game of the 2007-08 campaign. The young Spartans continued that development with a second straight signature win for the week, following a first win under third-year head coach George Nessman at rival Santa Clara three nights earlier by stunning Western Athletic Conference powerhouse University of Nevada, 62-60, at The Event Center on Thursday, January 10.
The Spartans’ first league triumph of the season and first win over Nevada after eight straight defeats dating back to 2002, improves their record to 8-7 overall and 1-2 in the WAC. Nevada, playing its conference opener and just its first game of the 2008 calendar year after a weather postponement against Utah State on January 5, drops to 8-6 overall and 0-1 in league play.
San Jose State also improves to a perfect 6-0 on the year in games decided by four points or fewer.
Down 56-52, a Tim Pierce basket and three-point play by DaShawn Wright put the Spartans ahead for good with less than four minutes to play. Back-to-back baskets by C.J. Webster and Chris Oakes off an assist from Justin Graham gave San Jose State its largest lead of the night at 61-56.
Consecutive Nevada scores by JaVale McGee and Marcelus Kemp made it a one-point game before Graham was sent to the free throw line with 12.6 seconds left. The redshirt freshman hit the first attempt but missed the second to give the visitors a final chance at 62-60. Kemp missed a three-pointer with five seconds remaining, and Brandon Fields’ follow-up attempt from the baseline was also off the mark to secure the Spartan victory.
Webster finished with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. He added seven rebounds and three assists over 34 minutes. Oakes produced 12 points, a game-high eight boards and a season-high two assists.
Pierce was a third Spartan in double-figure scoring with 10 points, including six off the Spartans’ only two three-pointers on the night. He also pulled down five rebounds. Graham scored nine points and dished out a game-high five assists.
After surrendering the first basket of the game, the Spartans took a 4-2 lead on a Webster bucket and two free throws by Graham. Nevada then went on a 10-0 spurt, however, led by four points by David Ellis, to take a 12-4 advantage into the first break.
A Pierce three-pointer finally broke a scoreless stretch of 3:43 for San Jose State. Webster followed with a deep jumper for 12-9. Armon Johnson hit a three-pointer and McGee added a baseline jumper for Nevada around a Webster lay-up off a Jamon Hill feed inside for a 17-11 Wolf Pack lead.
Kemp’s three-pointer and an Ellis basket preceded another mid-range jumper and an acrobatic lay-up by Webster. Kemp’s score down low made it 24-15 in favor of the Wolf Pack with less than eight minutes to go in the first half.
Some good activity by junior DeVonte Thomas on back-to-back possessions, with a tough lay-up and two free throws, pulled the Spartans back to within five at 24-19. Thomas later added a jumper to continue a 6-0 personal stretch and make it 24-21.
The second half began with an Armon Johnson three-pointer for the Wolf Pack. The teams then traded buckets, including Graham’s first made field goal of the night at the 17:27 mark, as the visitors maintained the slim edge at 35-32.
Lyndale Burleson’s three-pointer for Nevada tied it at 40-40 and triggered a 9-0 run to give the Wolf Pack a 46-40 advantage. Oakes’ jumper to beat the shot clock ended the string.
Kemp matched the score with the shot clock winding down, and Oakes answered with a jump hook on the other end. Armon Johnson’s floater made it 50-44 in favor of Nevada ahead of the first of Wright two key three-point plays. Kemp and Oakes again traded baskets and Johnson knocked down two free throws before three straight points from Webster for 54-52. McGee’s basket made it 56-52 at the 4:54 mark and began the 10-4 Spartan run over the remainder.
Wright wound up with eight points, hitting all four of his free throws as the Spartans went 14-of-20 from the line while Nevada managed just 7-of-16 from the stripe. Thomas was the only bench player to score for San Jose State with his six points to go with three rebounds.
Idaho 85, Louisiana Tech 78
MOSCOW, Idaho ? Jordan Brooks and Mike Hall combined for 42 points and the University of Idaho men’s basketball team shot 51-percent from the floor in an 85-78 victory over Louisiana Tech Thursday.
The win was Idaho’s (4-10, 1-2) first of the early Western Athletic Conference schedule and its first ever over Louisiana Tech (3-11, 0-2).
Clyde Johnson, who started his first game of the season, added a career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, which included a 3-of-3 performance from beyond the 3-point arc. Brooks added 10 rebounds to earn Idaho’s first double-double of the season and scored 11 of his 21 points from the free throw line. He also tallied five steals and four assists. Hall hit 50-percent of his shots from the floor and from beyond the arc and his four 3-pointers give him 21 in the last five games. Brandon Brown added 12 points off the bench.
The Vandals shot 29-of-57 from the field and 9-of-19 (.474) from beyond the arc. They also hit 18-of-24 free throws and outrebounded the Bulldogs by seven. Idaho also tallied just nine turnovers, which included just three at halftime.
Louisiana Tech scored first in the contest and the scored was tied three times in the first three minutes before Idaho pulled ahead for good at 8-6 with 16:28 remaining. The Vandals moved ahead by seven at the 11:32 mark but the Bulldogs fought back to tie the score on two occasions. With the score tied at 22, Idaho put together a 10-0 run and eventually moved ahead by 12 at 40-28 with 2:05 remaining. Louisiana Tech scored the final eight points of the half, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer, to pull within 40-36 at halftime.
The Bulldogs continued their streak and eventually scored 11 unanswered points to pull within 40-39 at the start of the second half. Idaho responded with six points and eventually moved ahead by 11 after hitting 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions. Idaho’s lead was 71-61 with 8:12 remaining when Louisiana Tech put together a 10-2 run to pull within 73-71 with 4:35 remaining. Idaho responded with the next four points and later hit 7-of-8 free throws in the final 1:04 to hold on for the 85-78 victory.
New Mexico State 76, Boise State 73
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -Playing in only his fourth game, freshman guard Jahmar Young scored 33 points, including 19 in the first half, to lead New Mexico State to a 76-73 victory over Boise State on Thursday night.
Boise State (11-4, 2-1 Western Athletic Conference) had a chance to tie the game after calling a timeout with 6.8 seconds left and trailing by three points, but a running shot by Tyler Tiedeman bounced off the back of the rim and the Aggies grabbed the rebound.
Young converted on 12 of 19 shots from the field and hit all six of his free throws to lead the Aggies (9-9, 3-0).
Tiedeman scored 20 points, including 17 in the second half, to lead Boise State. Tiedeman matched a career high with six 3-pointers.
New Mexico State had gone on a 14-2 run in the final four minutes of the first half to take a 46-34 lead after trailing by as many as nine points.
With Tiedeman hitting five of six second-half 3-point attempts, Boise State chipped away at the Aggies' lead to trail by four with 9:39 left. The Broncos narrowed it to 75-73 with 1:27 left on a field goal by Reggie Larry. Fred Peete hit a free throw for the Aggies with 37 seconds remaining, setting the stage for the final shot by Tiedeman.
Boise State's Larry left after a knee injury in the first half, but returned for the second, adding 18 points. Matt Nelson scored 15 points.
Justin Hawkins had 14 points for the Aggies and Peete added 10.