The San José State men’s basketball team were outlawed by the University of Wyoming Cowboys 88-78 at home on senior night on Saturday.

Throughout the game, the Spartans failed to keep up with Wyoming’s ball movement, as the Cowboys were dominant on the offensive glass.  

SJSU junior guard Colby Garland battled through illness to deliver a strong performance in the Spartans’ regular-season finale.

Garland shot 8 of 16 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line, finishing with 25 points in 33 minutes. He also added four rebounds and five assists to cap his season on a high note.

The Spartans trailed the Cowboys for the entire game, with the biggest deficit reaching 21 points. 

Wyoming maintained its lead through defensive rebounding and better shooting from all around the court, making things difficult for the Spartans.

The Cowboys outrebounded the Spartans 31–21.

The Spartans found sporadic momentum from time to time – whether it was a blocked shot or forcing a Cowboys turnover – but could not maintain possession long enough to make it a closer game.  

As the game progressed, Wyoming freshman forward Gavin Gores was the arrow that pierced the Spartans’ shield, going 7 of 7 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 20 points. 

SJSU head coach Tim Miles said the first 15 minutes of play were alright as they rediscovered some pride. 

“As a coach, you want to have them ready from the jump, and I didn’t have them ready the way we needed to be, and that was disappointing,” Miles said. 

In the past five seasons under Miles, the Spartans are 61-103, but in that time have appeared in two postseasons in 2023 and 2025.

Another challenge for the Spartans was Cowboy’s junior guard Adam Harakow, who shot 3 of 3 from 3-point range, accounting for a third of the Cowboys’ made 3-pointers.

Wyoming shot 9-19 (47.4%) from 3-point range compared to the Spartans, who shot 2-9 (22.2%) from beyond the arc. 

Although the Spartans struggled to gain momentum, Wyoming committed 12 turnovers while SJSU had just five, limiting the Cowboys’ efficiency despite their overall strong performance.

Even with Wyoming holding the lead for all of regulation, the Spartans did not give up.

The physical play of sophomore forward Adrian Myers and sophomore guard Jermaine Washington helped, as their push put the team within 10 points in the second half. 

Myers had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Washington added 14 points.

The dagger for the Spartans was Wyoming shooting 100% from the free-throw line, going 15 of 15, while SJSU shot 73%. 

After the game, Miles addressed the challenge of defending the Spartans’ guards.

“You got to shed that seal, I can see where they get you once and we didn’t get it, but driving the seals and guards are pretty clever, so you got to do a good job steering them to your defense,” Miles said.

The Spartans end their season 8-23 overall and 3-17 in conference play as they prepare for the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada taking place from March 11-14.

SJSU will open tournament play on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. against Boise State University at the Thomas & Mack Center.