The San José State men’s basketball team defeated Southern University 80-66 onTuesday night at home.
Yaphet Moundi had a big night, recording 21 points and 11 rebounds – his fourth double-double of the season.
SJSU head coach Tim Miles said the staff felt confident in the preparation leading up to the game.
“We had two good defensive practices going into this, knowing these guys were averaging 99 points a game,” Miles said.
Southern U stayed close for most of the first half, but the Spartans kept control and led 42-35 going into halftime.
Miles emphasized the strength the Spartan’s defense had after Southern hit those 3 late 3-pointers in the first half.
“They hit three straight three late in the first half, but we reassembled, and I thought we were really solid defensively,” Miles said.
The Spartans also turned Southern’s mistakes into 12 points off turnovers.
In the second half, SJSU scored 38 points while Southern U managed just 31, allowing the Spartans to pull away.
Miles pointed to the team’s interior focus as a key factor.
“Our paint presence has to be better, and we got a little bit of that early tonight,” Miles said. “We were in the paint, we were getting fouled, we were getting offensive rebound putbacks.”
Four Spartans scored in double figures, including redshirt freshman Ben Roseborough, who finished with 16 points after a quiet first half.
Miles said Roseborough’s growth is encouraging.
“Ben is one of those guys we know can score, and we’re going to need him to. He’s picking up the speed of the game again, and he’s just going to get better and better,” Miles said.
Moundi is averaging 11.8 points and 10.2 rebounds this season, showing why he’s become one of their most reliable contributors.
Miles praised Moundi, by highlighting his high-energy performance.
“You can see he’s got this energy level that’s a little bit different,” Miles said. “He is a productive guy, and I like that about him.”
Freshman guard Jermaine Washington led SJSU in 3-pointers made during the game, and Miles said his shooting development has been noticeable.
“Jermaine shot it well. We expect him to shoot better this year. He’s a dynamic guy,” Miles said.
“We knew you had to be on high alert with these guys…holidng them to 66 when they’re averaging 99, it was a big night for us defensively,” Miles said.
With the win, the Spartans (2-3) are scheduled to play against the University of Tulsa at 10:30 A.M. this morning in Palm Springs.
Miles said he feels encouraged as the team is beginning to form a clear identity.
“We’re starting to assemble what looks like a solid basketball team. I was encouraged tonight,” Miles said.
