By Lexie Shezifi — Reporter
San Jose State men’s basketball (1-2) will take on Santa Clara University (6-0) on Friday in Santa Cruz with tipoff at 6 p.m.
The Spartans are currently 1-2 after losing their last two games of the season.
The last time these two teams met was Dec. 18, 2019 with SCU securing a narrow 89-84 victory over the Spartans.
SJSU will look to its scoring leader this season, guard Richard Washington who has had strong performances so far.
Washington began the season with a career-high 38 points against Fresno Pacific and has continued to lead the Spartans offensively.
The Virginia native is averaging 26.3 points per game this season and will be a key to beating SCU this week.
SJSU is only 2-6 against SCU and hasn’t won a matchup since 2017.
Two important areas for the Spartans this game will be defense and free throws.
Free throws were an important factor in SJSU’s four-point loss to Cal Poly, with the Spartans missing 12 of their 33 attempts.
The last time SJSU beat the Broncos, the Spartans finished with 78 percent shooting from the line.
The Spartans held their opponent to just 30 percent shooting from the field.
If SJSU can lock down on defense and sink free throws, the Spartans will be in great shape.
The game will be played at Kaiser Permanente Arena due to COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Clara County.
Follow Lexie on Twitter @lexie4real