By Aaron Johnson (@voz_aaron1) – Spear Reporter
photo via Andrew Hartley | The Spear
San Jose State (7-7) didn’t trail by more than two points the entire game. But that did not matter when Wyoming senior Akuel Kot drained a mid-range jumper as time expired to give the Cowboys the win.
The Spartans walked off the court in disbelief as the 47-35 lead they held at halftime had been squandered.
So what went wrong in the second half?
“I think our perimeter defense let us down,” said SJSU head coach Tim Miles. “We just didn’t get enough stops.”
In the second half, Wyoming (8-6) made three shots from beyond the arc and outscored the Spartans 40-26 in the second half.
As a part of their big first half, San Jose State shot 9-18 from deep absolutely raining down from beyond the arc. But as a part of its second half struggles, it only shot 3-13 from three-point range.
Another big factor in Wyoming’s comeback was their consistency at the free-throw line throughout the game. Wyoming shot 23-25 (92%) on free throw attempts.
SJSU’s shooting fell off during the second half as it only shot 8-24 (33%) from the field.
“When we had good open looks in the second half, we didn’t capitalize the way we did in the first half,” Miles said.
Junior guard Alvaro Cardenas was San Jose’s top scorer on the night as he put up 21 points including shooting 4-5 from three-point range. Cardenas also snagged nine rebounds.
With the loss to Wyoming, San Jose State’s road woes continue as the team now sits at 0-5 on the road this season.
Junior guard Myron Amey Jr., who has been one of San Jose State’s top performers on the season, had an off night in Wyoming.
Amey Jr. only scored six points shooting 2-8 from the field. Both of Amey’s points came via the three-point shot.
“Difficult night but it’s all about bouncing back,” Miles said. “(We play) Boise State Friday night on a short turnaround with travel, it’s important we come with a mindset ready to compete with good basketball like Boise State.”
SJSU will face off against Boise State (9-4) at home on January 5 at 7:30 p.m.
