By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Spear Reporter | Photo by Aikman Fang
One could feel SJSU men’s basketball head coach Tim Miles seething through the ESPN Plus broadcast. Could you blame him?
SJSU conceded a double digit lead — and led by six points with 1:06 left in regulation — but fell to Cal Poly in overtime, 81-77. Mind you, Cal Poly is 338 in Kenpom — over 200 spots below SJSU.
What’s potentially worrisome is that Wednesday wasn’t SJSU’s (5-3) first disappointing closing effort this season. In hopes of maintaining its hot start, SJSU must ensure it is among the last.
“What have to figure out is: ‘how do you solve that problem as a coach?’” Miles said. “You hope it’s not a symptom of a larger problem in the program or an unwillingness to build on a lead and play the type of defense necessary to win tough-minded games.”
It’s times like these where Omari Moore’s absence is felt most. Moore, reigning Mountain West Player of the Year, likely would’ve ripped off one of his patented drives to the hoop to seal the game. And dole out some indomitable defense, too.
But with Moore now in the pros, a new Spartan must emerge as the late-game go-to guy.
It could be junior point guard MJ Amey. After all, he led SJSU with 22 points but missed a crucial three-pointer in overtime with 21 seconds left as SJSU trailed 78-75.
Amey shouldn’t shoulder all the blame, of course. He hit a lay up to make it 67-61 SJSU with over a minute left and a couple free throws to give SJSU a 69-66 lead. But Cal Poly (2-4) tied it up moments later after Kobe Sanders, who scored all 22 of his points after the first half, hit a comically deep three with six seconds left. It makes one wonder if Moore could’ve prevented that.
In the second half and overtime SJSU shot a combined 3-for-14 from three and 15-for-39 from the field. The late cold spell came after SJSU went a scorching 6-for-12 from deep in the first half. Tibet Gorener, one of SJSU’s best scorers, finished with 17 points, but 1-for-7 from three.
“You’re just trying to say, ‘Who do we go to?’ Miles said.
Wednesday night’s result felt relatively familiar. Just a couple weeks ago, SJSU conceded a nine-point second-half lead to Abilene Christian, hitting one bucket in the final 3:30 of regulation.
But as Miles told The Spear after the game, the “go-to guy” dilemma isn’t the core reason for Wednesday’s loss.
“They [Cal Poly] were 10 of 14 from the rim in the second half. They were five of eight from threes in the second half and we put them on the foul line 30 times,” Miles said. “You’re not winning anywhere – home, away, at the park with a defense like that.” It’s a good thing Cal Poly only made 20 of those 30 free throws.
Perhaps SJSU’s defensive struggles are tied to junior shooting forward Trey Anderson getting into foul trouble and eventually fouling out with 51 seconds left. After all, he’s become one of SJSU’s best defenders over the last couple of seasons. Either way, the Spartans surely could’ve used his deep ball. Before exiting, Anderson notched 13 points on a perfect 5-for-5 mark from the field and a 3-for-3 clip from three.
There’s no panic in Miles’ voice, but there is urgency.
In order to finish at least .500 so it can notch back-to-back CBI bids, SJSU needs as many non-conference wins as possible. Late-game downward spirals can’t become a habit because competition will only improve when Mountain West play begins a month from now.
