By Haddy Barghouti (HB_SportsBeat) – Senior Staff Writer | Senior forward Sadraque NgaNga takes a contested corner three against Boise State Broncos freshman forward Bhan Buom during SJSU’s 89–58 loss on Jan. 27. (Photo by Tylen Pelaez – The Spear)
The San Jose State men’s basketball team (6-15, 1-9 MW) will look to snap a four-game losing streak when it hosts New Mexico (17-4, 8-2 MW) on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.
The Spartans have lost 10 of their last 11 games and will be seeking revenge against the Lobos, previously falling 88–65 on the road on Dec. 20 in SJSU’s Mountain West opener.
New Mexico is led by freshman guard Jake Hall, who averages a team-high 15.0 points per game and shoots better than 40 percent from 3-point range.
“We need to be solid defensively,” SJSU head coach Tim Miles said. “We’ve worked on some things we feel good about, and attacking their defense is going to be important. I think we’ve got a good scheme ready to go.”
New Mexico ranks second in the Mountain West in scoring, averaging 81.1 points per game, while SJSU sits near the bottom of the conference at 69.7 points per game.
Defensively, the Lobos also hold an edge, ranking second in the Mountain West by allowing 67.5 points per game, while the Spartans rank 11th with 76.3 points per game allowed.
The Spartans may look to rely more heavily on their interior scoring as their perimeter shooting has dipped in recent games.
Redshirt freshman guard Ben Roseborough, the team’s leading 3-point shooter, has missed the last four games, and the Spartans have struggled from deep in three of those contests without his presence, failing to reach 40 percent from beyond the arc.
The Spartans will also have junior guard Colby Garland available for the third straight game after he returned from injury and has been coming off the bench. Garland scored 27 points in the previous meeting against New Mexico, creating matchup problems for the Lobos’ defense.
“He’s full go. He’ll be ready to go,” Miles said. Asked whether Garland would start or continue to come off the bench, Miles said he had not decided and declined to reveal his game plan.
SJSU has also been without senior forward Yaphet Moundi, the team’s leading rebounder. If Moundi is sidelined again, the Spartans will need senior forward Sadraque NgaNga and junior forward Marcus Overstreet to shoulder more of the rebounding load.
Freshman forward Tomislav Buljan could pose a challenge on the glass, as he is averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds per game.
SJSU will also need improved shooting from freshman guard Melvin Bell Jr., who has struggled over the last two games, and sophomore guard Jermaine Washington, who is shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc this season.
“They’re very good from the 3-point line,” Garland said. “That’s something we’ve struggled to guard. They play with a lot of speed and pace and have a lot of length, but we’re going to be up for the challenge.”
