By Haddy Barghouti (HB_SportsBeat) – Spear Reporter | Redshirt freshman guard Ben Roseborough shoots a jump shot while guarded by Antelopes redshirt junior guard Caleb Shaw during SJSU’s 76–58 loss. (Photo courtesy of SJSU Athletics)
San Jose State men’s basketball (5-11, 0-5 MW) lost its sixth straight game Saturday night, falling 76-58 to Grand Canyon (10-5, 3-1 MW) at GCU Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.
SJSU entered the game shorthanded, missing four starters, including its leading scorer junior guard Colby Garland, missing his first game of the season after suffering a head injury during the Spartans’ 70-55 loss to Fresno State on Jan. 6.
Sophomore guard Jermaine Washington, the team’s leader in 3-pointers made, was also ruled out.
The Spartans trailed by 16 at halftime but lacked the offensive firepower to overcome the deficit, allowing Grand Canyon to hold its lead.
With only eight available players, SJSU struggled offensively. The Spartans shot 37% from the field and 32% from beyond the arc.
Grand Canyon also struggled from long range, shooting 30% from 3-point distance, but made up for it by shooting 46% overall and scoring 32 points in the paint compared to the Spartans 20 points.
Both teams committed 14 turnovers, but Grand Canyon capitalized, scoring 21 points off turnovers compared to SJSU scoring 13 points.
The lack of depth hurt the Spartans, who received no bench points and were forced into heavy minutes from their starters. Grand Canyon’s bench provided a significant boost, outscoring San Jose State’s reserves, 32-0.
“Some guys are getting opportunities with extended playing time, and that’s very good for them,” SJSU head coach Tim Miles said. “They’re great opportunities, and now we need to put this in place, take this team and their attitude and keep building on it.”
Ball movement also favored the Antelopes. Grand Canyon recorded 16 assists compared to just four for SJSU.
Despite the loss, the Spartans had a pair of offensive bright spots.
Redshirt freshman guard Ben Roseborough scored a career-high 23 points in just his second game back from injury.
Freshman guard Melvin Bell Jr. added a career-high 17 points, extending his streak to five consecutive games scoring in double figures.
“I really credit our kids for fighting in a very difficult environment,” Miles said. “I saw some really good things that we did and some things we have to get better at.”
Grand Canyon was led by freshman center Efe Demirel, who finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
The Spartans were able to get to the free-throw line, attempting 22 foul shots compared to 18 for Grand Canyon, but the Spartans converted just 63.6%.
Free-throw shooting has been an ongoing issue for San Jose State, which is shooting 74% as a team this season and ranks 8th out of 12 in the Mountain West.
The Spartans will return home looking for their first conference win, facing Air Force at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
