By Haddy Barghouti (HB_SportsBeat) – Spear Reporter | Redshirt freshman guard Ben Roseborough takes a shot in the paint, guarded by Falcons freshman guard Justin Hinds, during SJSU’s 70-62 win. (Photo by Alex Stoev – The Spear)
San Jose State men’s basketball (6-11, 1-5 MW) snapped a six-game losing streak Tuesday night with a 70-62 home win over Air Force (3-14, 0-6 MW).
The Spartans earned their first Mountain West victory of the season despite being shorthanded for the second straight game, playing without four starters.
SJSU also lost another contributor late, as redshirt freshman guard Ben Roseborough left with a knee injury with five minutes remaining in the second half and did not return.
Roseborough finished with a team-high 19 points shooting 60% from the field..
SJSU built a six-point halftime lead despite shooting just 33% from the field in the first half. Air Force struggled offensively early, shooting 26% before the break.
Both teams found more success in the second half. The Spartans finished the game shooting 46.9% from the field, while the Falcons shot 44.7%.
Air Force was led by freshman forward Lucas Hobin, who scored 16 points.
“They turn the heat on at halftime, as a coach you never know how things are gonna go,” SJSU head coach Tim Miles said. “I thought with the defense in front of us, I thought we did a very nice job.”
Turnovers played a major role in the outcome. SJSU forced 16 turnovers while committing nine of its own. The Spartans converted those turnovers into 21 points, while the Falcons scored just seven points.
Free throws also played a role. The Spartans made 18 from the line compared to 12 for Air Force, helping them preserve their edge despite similar shooting percentages.
The Spartans played with an eight-man rotation and only three guards available, with none off the bench. After Roseborough’s injury, the Spartans were down to two guards. The bench accounted for just four points, leaving the starters to carry the workload.
“Guys stepped up, and I think that these opportunities are making these guys hopefully gaining confidence as they move forward,” Miles said.
Redshirt sophomore guard Pasha Goodarzi scored a career-high 18 points and knocked down four of the team’s six 3-pointers.
He was one of two Spartans to play all 40 minutes, along with freshman guard Melvin Bell Jr.
“Playing with certain lineups that don’t usually play together, and the cool thing about us tonight is we figured it out,” Goodarzi said. “At the end of the day especially in a conference like this, you’re just gonna have to figure everything out.”
Redshirt sophomore forward Adrian Myers added 15 points and led the team with seven rebounds.
It marked just his second game this season scoring at least 15 points. Myers was perfect from the free-throw line, including key makes late as Air Force intentionally fouled.
“Him (Goodarzi), he was sitting so I was getting open slips to the basket so I just felt like once I work inside out I think my threes falling,” Myers said.
SJSU continues its homestand against UNLV at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
