By Aaron Johnson (@voz_aaron1) – Spear Reporter
Photo by Nick Orozco – The Spear
San Jose State (8-15, 1-9 MW) has now lost six straight games and its loss to Fresno State (10-13, 3-7 MW) is a very tough pill to swallow.
With the loss, SJSU is now in sole possession of last place in the Mountain West and is a half-game behind Air Force (8-13,1-8 MW).
“We just haven’t been able to get off the losing streak,” Head Coach Tim Miles said. “I would hope that we played better defense, and I thought (our defense) kind of let us down later in the game.”
The biggest shift in the Bulldogs favor was when the Spartans’ shooters went cold and failed to score in the final 4:09 of the game.
One bright spot on the game was Junior forward Tibet Gorener broke the school record for most 3-pointers made in a career as he hit his 162nd with 15:46 left in the second half.
With the Spartans’ loss, nabbing the record was bitter-sweet for Gorener.
“It’s nice to have a record and be a part of history,” Gorener said. “I wish it came with a win too.”
Goerner snaps the record previously held by Ryan Welage which has stood since 2018.
Bulldogs senior guard Xavier DuSell was the team’s top scorer with 23 points and was red-hot from 3-point range as he converted from beyond the arc six times.
“Not being able to get (the Bulldogs) under control, especially Xavier DuSell was a difference of the game,” Miles said.
Junior center Enoch Boakye proved to be a problem in the paint for the Spartans and had a monster second half where he scored 12 of his 14 points. Boakye was able to grab 14 rebounds, the most of anyone in the contest.
Junior guard Alvaro Cardenas was the Spartans top scorer as he scored 12 points and attacked the Bulldogs heavily on the drive.
Freshman forward Christian Wise has seen an increase in minutes over the past few games and against Fresno State, Wise provided a team-leading eight rebounds.
“He’s been just working so hard in practice,” Miles said. “And he can go up and get a rebound which has been something we’ve been really struggling with.”
The Spartans next game will be on the road against a good Colorado State (18-5, 6-4 MW) team. With the season in a skid right now, Miles said the main goal is to find a way to break the losing streak.
“We need to go to Colorado State and find a way to win this game,” Miles said. “Everyone’s a bit miserable and frustrated right now, we need to find a way to play better defense and get a core group of guys on the floor that are operating well together.”
San Jose State is scheduled to face off against Colorado State on Friday at 6:30 p.m.