By Haddy Barghouti (HB_SportsBeat) – Spear Reporter | Junior guard Colby Garland dribbles down the court during SJSU’s 85–74 loss against UC Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of SJSU Athletics)
San Jose State men’s basketball fell 85–74 to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at the UCSB Events Center, dropping its second game of a three-game road trip. The Spartans fell to 0–2 overall and 0–0 in Mountain West play, while the Gauchos improved to 2–0 overall and 0–0 in Big West competition.
Junior guard Colby Garland led SJSU with a career-high 30 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field, keeping the Spartans in the game after trailing 45–28 at halftime. Garland built on his 21-point debut against Utah in Monday’s season opener.
SJSU head coach Tim Miles praised his team for their effort, but acknowledged the poor start.
“Just a catastrophic first half. Honestly, we were in a good spot, and then the last eight minutes of the half we made every mistake we could,” Miles said. “Credit the kids, we battled back in the second half, managed the game, and cut it all the way down to a couple possessions.”
The Spartans were without senior starting guard JaVaughn Hannah, who scored 12 points in his debut.
Freshman guard Ben Roseborough made his first career start in Hannah’s place, contributing 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Freshman guard Melvin Bell Jr. also had a strong showing with 12 points and five rebounds in just his second collegiate game.
UCSB dominated from three-point range, hitting 11-of-22 attempts, while San Jose State went just 5-of-17.
The Spartans’ free-throw shooting improved from the opener, making 17-of-21 after going 9-of-18 against Utah.
Junior forward Colin Smith led the Gauchos with 24 points on 72.7% shooting. Senior guard Aidan Mahaney added 17 points and six assists, while junior guard Miro Little nearly recorded a triple-double with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
UC Santa Barbara had the edge in assists, 19 to six.
Defensively, the Spartans matched the Gauchos with six steals and one block. Turnovers were a factor, as SJSU committed 14 compared to UCSB’s 11.
SJSU will wrap up its three-game road trip at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 at Breslin Center against Michigan State.
