The San José State men’s basketball team ended its eight-game losing streak Tuesday night by defeating the University of Nevada, Reno 87-71.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 7-19 overall and 2-13 in Mountain West Conference play, while the Wolf Pack fell to 17-9 overall and 9-6 in conference play.
The win marked SJSU’s first victory since its Jan. 13 win over Air Force and provided a much-needed confidence boost as the big Mountain West game approaches.
SJSU Head Coach Tim Miles said the victory was especially meaningful for his players after several narrow defeats.
“I’m just happy for the guys,” Miles said. “We really concentrated on team defense, rebounding and communication and I thought the guys did a really good job of all three.”
The Spartans set the tone immediately, opening the game 5-for-5 from 3-point range and building a commanding 47-32 halftime lead.
The early shooting surge energized both the team and the home crowd.
“I think it just gives them a shot (of) confidence,” Miles said. “You come out, you see the ball go through the hole and then you play a little harder on defense and hustle more for loose balls,”
Junior guard Colby Garland led the Spartans offensively with 29 points and delivered a late 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining in the second half.
Garland said the team remained focused on finishing the game after struggling to close out opponents during its losing streak.
“We can’t let this slip away,” Garland said. “We tried to focus in on defense and rebounding effort. If we get stops, the offense will follow.”
SJSU maintained control despite Nevada briefly cutting the deficit to six points midway through the second half.
Timely baskets and defensive stops allowed the Spartans to extend their lead back into double digits.
The Nevada Wolf Pack shot just 3-for-20 from 3-point range and relied on inside scoring and winning the points-in-the-paint battle 32-14, while heading to the free-throw line 32 times.
Reno was led by graduate student guard Corey Camper Jr., who scored 18 points and sophomore forward Elijah Price who followed with 14.
Sophomore SJSU forward Adrian Myers delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, scoring a season-high 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds while knocking down five 3-pointers.
“When I hit back-to-back threes to start the game, that’s when I knew,” Myers said. “It really feels great to win.”
The Spartans also received key contributions from freshman guard Melvin Bell Jr., senior forward Sadraque NgaNga and freshman forward Douglas Langford, who provided important defensive stops and rebounds down the stretch.
Miles said the team’s defensive focus was a major difference compared to recent losses.
“I thought our defensive effort was sustained and as good as it has been all year,” Miles said.
Garland said the victory could serve as a turning point.
“It feels good, but we can’t be complacent,” Garland said. “We’ve got to keep building from this.”
The victory also acted as a milestone for Coach Miles as he attained his 50th win of his coaching career.
Coach Miles is now tied for 11th in Mountain West Conference game wins set over the history of the conference, according to a SJSU Men’s Basketball Instagram post published after the game.
San José State will look to carry the electricity from celebrating Coach Miles into its next matchup when it travels to face the Boise State University Broncos on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m.
