By Benny Garcia — Reporter
San Jose State (3-11, 1-9 Mountain West) starts a two-game set at home against the Air Force Academy Falcons (4-10, 2-8 Mountain West) on Thursday.
The Spartans are looking to snap a five-game losing streak at home, while the Falcons fly into Phoenix’s Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center with a three-game losing streak.
Both teams have had their woes this season as they are well below the .500 mark. The Spartans and Falcons have struggled on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, as the Spartans have only scored 66.7 points per game and allowing 83.7 points per game.
The Falcons are slightly worse offensively averaging 59.1 points per game, but have given up 74.1 points per game.
While Air Force boasts a 6-4 record against San Jose State in their last 10 games, the Spartans are coming fresh off of a victory snapping a five-game losing streak against the University of New Mexico Lobos (5-9).
There were many bright spots in the game against UNM, as the Spartans had five players score double digits in the win.
Players to watch for SJSU:
In their last game against New Mexico, the Spartans were left without their leading scorer, senior guard Richard Washington. How did they come out with their first conference victory this season? The answer for that question could include the surprising performance from freshman guard, Sebastian Mendoza, as he scored 16 points in the victory.
Senior forward, Ralph Agee, was another key contributor for the Spartans with 16 points. While sophomore guard, Omari Moore, posted his second of the season double-double as he scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Player to watch for Air Force:
Senior forward, Nikc Jackson, has shined brightly in a few games this season scoring double digits in two of his last three games while averaging 8.2 points per game on the season.
Match-up to watch: Tale of Two Juniors
The Falcons’ junior guard, A.J. Walker has accounted for a great deal of their offense averaging 13.5 points per game with a 49.3% field goal percentage.
Spartans junior guard, Jalen Dalcourt, has been a force for San Jose State over the last three games scoring double digits in each of those matchups. Dalcourt is averaging 12.3 points per game, while only playing 25.8 minutes per game.
Tip-off is at 6:30 and you can catch the action on the Mountain West Network.
Follow Benny on Twitter @TheJetTalk