By Benny Garcia — Reporter
With a chance to give San Jose State the lead, guard Trey Smith missed a lay-up.
But Ralph Agee was able to secure the rebound and flush a dunk to put the Spartans ahead for good.
SJSU (4-11, 2-9 MW) was able to fend off the Air Force Academy Falcons (4-11, 2-9 MW) in a nail biter Thursday night with a 59-58 victory.
“The last two minutes in a one-point game, we are thinking about time and score,” said SJSU head coach Jean Prioleau. “What play we want to run and how to get the ball into the right person’s hand to make a play.”
As Air Force had a chance to take the lead with 3 seconds left on the clock in the fourth and final quarter, Falcons guard A.J. Walker missed a jumper to seal SJSU’s first conference win streak since 2017.
The Spartans made 15 of their 24 first-half shots. While they only shot 37 percent from the field in the second half, they were able to knock down a few key shots down the stretch.
San Jose State saw three players hit double digits. Forward Ralph Agee and guard Trey Smith were responsible for the bulk of the Spartans’ offense as they combined for 30 points.
In the second half, Air Force made just 11 of its 30 attempted shots, as well as finishing 18.8 percent from the 3-point line.
The final points scored by Air Force were courtesy of A.J. Walker, who scored 19 points at halftime but finished with only 21.
The Falcons were shut down by the Spartans’ defense in the final 3:18 minutes of the game as they were held scoreless and missed their final five field goal attempts.
San Jose State will look to push their winning streak up to three on Saturday night against the Falcons.
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