Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Basketball Beat Reporter
Photo via Titus Wilkinson of The Spear
San Jose State (19-12, 10-8 MW) ended its miracle of a season with a miraculous 20-point second half comeback over Air Force (14-17, 5-13 MW) propelled by Omari Moore’s first career 30-point performance and game-saving block to win 63-61.
In one year, SJSU has gone from 8-23 overall and 1-17 in conference play to clinching its second season with at least 19 overall wins since 1951 and first double-digit conference win total since 1994.
“It’s been a super special season. Let’s not stop here,” said head coach Tim Miles. The Spartans entered the matchup with the fifth seed in the Mountain West Tournament and secured its first ever first round bye. SJSU is in search of its first Mountain West Tournament victory in school history.
Saturday’s comeback was sealed by a Lebron James like chase down block from Moore on Air Forces’ Carter Murphy as time was expiring.
Miles labeled it “the exclamation point of all times” as it clinched the win and helped SJSU end the game on a 33-10 run. The Spartans were down by as much as 20 with nearly 17 minutes left to play and down down 51-33 with 13 minutes left.
The surge was enabled by a couple familiar faces and one brand new one.
SJSU center Ibrahima Diallo was credited by Miles for helping the Spartans allowing just 10 point in the final 13 minutes of the game and just 22 points in the second half after SJSU allowed 39 points in the first half. Diallo swatted four shots to seal his Mountain West blocks leader crown and tacked on 12 rebounds.
Sophomore student manager turned walk-on Ryen Perry aided in SJSU’s shutdown defense to end the game. Perry entered and excelled in a crucial stretch despite having played 25 minutes all year and didn’t have a field goal make to his name.
However Miles didn’t see the move as a “leap of faith” and said it was a moment he thinks Perry will “remember for the rest of his life.”
It was a tale of two halves for SJSU.
The Spartans fell behind 14-1 to start the game and didn’t score their first field goal until the 11:45 mark on a two-hand slam from Moore. It sparked a 33-point performance as Moore passed Chris McNealy (1981-83) to become the seventh leading scorer in SJSU history and it was Moore’s 12th game with at least 20 points.
Alvaro Cardenas scored 10 points and was the only Spartan besides Moore in double figures.
Next up: Viva Las Vegas.
The Spartans will be the fifth seed, but don’t know which team they’ll play in the Mountain West tournament yet on Thursday, March 9.
“It’s been a super special season. Let’s not stop here,” said Miles.