On Saturday night, the San José State Spartans took on the University of New Mexico Lobos in an intense matchup that ended in a 90-80 Lobos win, fueled by 27 points from freshman guard Jake Hall.
Despite the loss, SJSU stayed competitive throughout the game, with New Mexico’s largest lead reaching 13 points late into the second half.
Tim Miles, head coach for the Spartans, praised his team’s effort following the game.
“I thought our guys really battled tonight,” Miles said. “New Mexico is an excellent team and one of the top 30 or 40 teams in the country.”
San José was led by junior guard Colby Garland, who scored 24 points in his first start since his concussion on Jan. 6 against Fresno State.
“I think I did a good job of getting my guys involved,” Garland said. “When they started making shots and making plays, it opened up the floor for me to get easier shots and get to my spots.”
Sophomore guard Jermaine Washington was also a presence on the court despite starting off 0-5, as he came back in the second half and shot 7-10 for a total of 18 points off the bench.
“My teammates told me to keep shooting,” Washington said. “They were still finding me even when I was missing, so credit to my teammates for that.”
One of the biggest takeaways from the night was the electric atmosphere inside the arena as Spartan fans energized the team with loud reactions to key plays.
“I’m really grateful for our fans,” Miles said. “They showed up and showed out, and I thought it was really great to see. You see a little step in our guys when you get a full house like that.”
The games’ attendance reached 4,189, which was one of the largest crowds for the Spartans since last season’s National Invitational Tournament game against Loyola University Chicago.
“I think it was great, man,” Garland said. “We just fed off the energy and I feel like we played a lot better tonight. So I encourage them to keep coming out, keep supporting us, and know that we love them and appreciate them.”
The Spartans had many momentum shifts, such as late in the first half when New Mexico had to call timeouts after sophomore guard Pasha Goodarzi and senior forward Sadraque NgaNga each hit two threes in a row for San José.
Another instance of a momentum swing came in the second half when junior forward Marcus Overstreet grabbed a rebound and finished through contact, followed by a Washington steal and layup that cut the Lobos lead to five.
Saturday’s starting lineup featured three changes, which includes Overstreet making his first start for the Spartans. He played 28 minutes, logging four points, four rebounds and three assists.
When asked what it would take to turn games like this into wins, Garland pointed to execution in key moments.
“We’re really close. It’s just extra-effort plays, a couple of rebounds that we gave up and a couple of missed assignments,” Garland said. “We’ve got to get back in the gym and continue to get better and make plays down the stretch.”
The Spartans will look to turn their efforts into a win as they travel to Fort Collins, CO to take on Colorado State on Saturday, Feb 7. at 6 p.m. at Moby Arena.
